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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. ' 

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UNITED STATES OF AMEEICA. 



ROD AND GUN. 



A WEEKLY JOUENAL 

Devoted to Field and Aquatic Sports, Practical Natural History, 
Fish Culture, the Protection of Game, Preservation of Forests, 
and the Inculcation in Men and Women of a Healthy Interest 
in Out-Door Recreation and Study. 

Terms — Four dollars a year, strictly in advance. Twenty-five 
per cent, off for Clubs of two or more. 



- Hallock's Field Books for Sportsmen. 

SPORTSMANS' GAZETTEER AND GUIDE. (Fourth Edi- 
tion.) Price $3. 

FISHING TOURIST. $2. 

CAMP LIFE IN FLORIDA. $1.50. 

AMERICAN CLUB LIST AND SPORTSMAN'S GLOS- 
SARY. 50 cents, 



PUBLISHED BY 

FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING COMPANY, 

AT 

No. Ill (old No. 103) Fulton Street, New York. 
Post Office Box 2S32. 



I 



ON THE EBB: 



A FEW 



Log-Lines from an Old S 



CHARLES F. HOTCHKISS. 



NEW HAVEN: 

TUTTLE, MOREHOUSE & TAYLOR, PRINTERS. 

1 8 Y 8. 



7S i^t^*^ 



Copyriglit ISTS, 

BY 

O. F. HOTCHKISS. 



PRE FAC E 



I PROPOSE to launch this little book wit into the great maelstrom of 
this busy world, not doubting that I shall live as long and equally 
as happy as if the event had never occurred. It is in plain style, 
exactly as is my way of conversation. There never was much fog 
about me, except when fishing off Cuttyhunk or Nantucket Shoals; 
and I never fished there without being enveloped in it. The cure for 
that is a pocket compass, a good dry boat, a lead line and plenty of 
bait. I never called a " Blue-fish " by a wrong name, nor the " Porgie " 
a " Scup." The ''Sea Bass" is not a "Hannah Hill," nor is the 
"Weak Pish" a "Salt "Water Trout." I could not use great high- 
toned words in these pages even if I wished to ; nor do I believe that 
my readers will be of that class who swallow great swelling words of 
man's wisdom and invention. I have no excuse to offer the public 
for any absence of punctuation or grammar, for the printer, like the 
underwriter, is responsible for those useful arrangements. 

It is my business, and mine alone, to work up some of the incidents 
of 73 years, put it in pamphlet form, pay the printer and sell it, pro- 
vided it has merit. It stands on its own bottom. If the purchaser, 
after getting possession, has made a satisfactory bargain, we are even ; 
and if he, she or it, is not suited, we are even again. It was my barrel 
of flour, or my string of fish, and as I never recommended the quality, 
they should have looked the horse iti the mouth. I do not send the 
fish to market in a wheel-barrow, trumpeting the quality or kind — it 
is your business to open its gills; for who would cry "Stale fish?" 
I am too old to meddle with fiction in any shape, for it is much easier 
to catch fish with good, clean, live bait, than an old dead winkle. 
Fish are not fools always, neither are the majority of the human 
family full of wisdom. My experience, piscatorially, (as my friends 
will endorse,) has been large^ long and dee}), and at my stand-point of 
life, I have concluded that game fish are much more smart than the 
human family, for they never take stinking bait in their mouth, conse- 
quently they never vomit. No, never ! Mankind swoops up every- 
thing of the book species that is announced, provided it comes under 
Turkey Morocco and Gold Leaf. I send this book out in its plain 
Quaker garb, extracting from it all the scales, flippers, backbone, head 
and inwards, leaving the purchaser the clear marrow. In fact, it is 



4 PEEFACE. 

like a Connecticut River Shad, all washed clean of fiction, " well 
bloated," and ready for broiling. It was not indeed necessary to pay 
well-known literary men $100 to do this work of cleaning my fish for 
market. I have a good wife at home, and between us both we suc- 
ceed, as I think, successfully ; at any rate, we are equally interested in 
the welfare or success of the thing, and our services are free ; this all 
helps the purchaser — and we have decided that the Fish is wortk 
One Dollar. Reader, what do you think ? 

But before I close my Preface, let me say, seriously, you will find in 
the book the narrative of a voyage occupying six months in the brig 
Shepherdess, Captain Peter Storer, Master, with whom the author made 
several voyages in early life, commencing as cabin boy. It is rather 
leng-thy, but as a matter of history I think you wiU find it interesting. 
The good old captain is well known as a perfect sailor and a strict 
disciplinarian. He is alive now — as good as new, and eighty- seven 
years old at that. He was my schoolmaster when I was suffering with 
that dreadful complaint, the "13-year-old fever," yet instructed me 
outside the usual " Iron Rule " enforced by the " rope's end," in which 
discipline many a boy has been ruined. His word was law, and dif- 
ferent from many other skippers, he knew when men did their duty. 
My education under him has endeared him to me, and I take great 
pleasure in respectfully dedicating that portion of the little book to 
him, and add the following, as breathing the true sentiments of 
my soul : 

" Let day improve on day, and year on year. 
Without a pain, a trouble or a fear, 
Till death unfelt that tender frame destroy 
In some soft dream, or ecstacy of joy; 
Peaceful sleep out the Sabbath of the tomb. 
And wake to raptures in a life to come." 

You will also find my Trip to California in 1849, with many interest- 
ing incidents. The voyage with Captain Peter Storer, alluded to 
before, is full of incident — nautical, historical, piscatorial and spice; 
but it is truth. Sam Patch's last leap at Genesee Falls, showing, as 
Sam said, "some things can be done as well as others;" and I think 
the Dish of Chowder of the author, with his " Rolling Stone gathers 
no Moss;" the Fish, Fishing and Fishing Places, to choose, will at 
least give a good revenue for the book, if it does not immortalize his 
name. 

C. F. HOTOHKISS. 

Short Beach, Branford, Conn., April, 1878. 



CONTENTS 



A Dish of Chowder, Y 

Showing why a "Rolling Stone gathers no Moss," 
and including some sensible advice on Salt Water 
Fishing and Fishing Places. N. B. — The author 
never caught but four fresh-water fish in his life, 
namely, two Suckers, one Pickerel and an Alli- 
gator. 



A Voyage up the Mediterrais^eax, . . 27 



California in 1 849, . . . . .83 



Sam Patch's Last Leap, 109 

(Genesee Falls, in 1825.) 

Kespect to Aged Fishermen, . . . 115 

The Serpent of the Sea, . . . . 119 

Short Beach, . . . . . .121 

"' Throw a Rope," ...... 125 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

A little on the subject of "A Rolling Stone gathers no Moss." — Some- 
thing on Old Age. — Considerable on Fish, Fishermen and Fishing 
places. — A small sprinkling on "Respect due old Fishermen," and 
Anathemas on those who disturb others in fishing. 

"A Rolling Stone Gathees no Moss." 

THE author is now too old to gain much wisdom from 
this spicy saying. His opportunities are much like 
a shoal of blue iish — all gone by. The tide of life has 
made its ebb and the fish are all outside the bar, where 
it needs nerve and a strong arm to stem the tide with 
the oars and make a good cast of the squid in the surf. 
I cheerfully accept the circumstances and must be con- 
tent with shore fishing, where things are quiet and the 
fish smaller. The future of my fishing must be in 
smoother waters, a small skiff, nicely moored in the eddy 
of the tide, keeping a good lookout for squalls, and 
always a harbor under my lee, choice basket of snack, a 
small bottle of good Grenada (20 years old), a neat little 
locker in the stern sheets, plenty of good fresh bait and 
jack-knife ; compass in my pocket, a good clear sun over- 
head, and a plenty of time to stay the tide out and in, 
— not encumbered with a greenhorn cousin hailing from 
the Green Mountains, stepping around the boat as if a 



8 A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

" fiddler " had him by the big toe, or flirting fish hooks 
loosely in the air, apparently trying to see how near he 
can come to my old gray eyes and not hit ; or yelling 
sufficiently loud to frighten every fish off" the reef in tell- 
ing me how he kept school, and how he used to fish for 
dace with pin hooks, and then how he fell in love with 
Mary. No, no ! I have made all the noise in the world 
that I propose to make (unless I set the world on fire by 
this book), and as I prefer a " still hunt" so do I prefer 
to get into my dingey alone. Yes, quietly, alone ! unless, 
perhaps, a lady at the breakfast table begs a chance with 
me for the voyage, conditional that her dear little five- 
year old Judy shall remain at home, and that short skirts 
shall be the order for the day, because an eight-foot boat 
can't hold everything. Long trails are much better 
operating on a sidewalk than as a bailing dish to a boat. 
When the ladies, dear souls ! get into my boat with 
these trails, I admire them so much for soaking up the 
water, that I quietly put my two large sponges in the 
locker. Then every tub is on its own bottom. 

But the matter of Fishing. Why so much of it ? Can 
it be possible that you adopt it as the best hobby you 
can ride? Yes; I certainly have. I favor it first from 
inclination, for I was born under the zodiac sign, the 
" feet." It is a healthy and amusing hobby. It can be 
enjoyed with more economy, and the fish as a food feeds 
the brain ; and beside, while enjoying this hobby, the 
mind is improved. It is a glorious good place for reflec- 
tion, and with a good Havana cigar it tends to make a 
person forget his enemies and forgive his friends. He is 
even more charitable to the poor; his surplus game goes 
Scott free to his friends, the rich and poor alike. It is 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 9 

not like the Fast Horse hobby (your 2.20 horse), for which 
you have just paid $5,000 more or less, and who died 
last night. Perhaps his death saved your life, the day 
after ! With a horse, the life of the driver compared to 
a boat and its skipper, is 1 to 500 in favor of the boat. 
The harness and wagon, with its pins, buckles, straps, 
<fcc., make 350 chances against you, and the kinks in the 
horse's disposition count 150 more. Now my boat, 
and all her traps, ropes, oars, rowlocks, Avith me in 
charge, is free from all risk, excepting my falling over- 
board by over-drinking that old Grenada — and you may 
hunt down the ages to come for that proof Yes, yes ! 
It is my hobby to fish, and yet I never sold a fish in my 
life. The surplus have gone to my neighbors. 

If I ever wanted 25 pounds and upwards of striped 
bass, or 10 pounds and upwards of blue fish, I just took 
a trip to Cuttyhunk or Montauk Point, anchored outside 
the breakers and threw into the surf. I seldom failed at 
either place. If it was 60 to 100 pounds of drum fish, 
take the first of the flood at Townsend's Inlet, stop with 
Wm. Doolittle at South Seaville, by Cape May and Mill- 
ville R. R. from Camden. If it was mackerel, just ingra- 
tiate yourself into the good graces of a smack skipper 
at New York or New London, and before night I could 
have sufficient fun for the day, and harbor at night. But 
don't you sleep aboard, or, in other words, don't try it. 
Oh, no, don't; for their bunks are always full . . . 
Fire Island by L. I. R. R. to Babylon. Splendid quarters 
at " Snediker's House." He or his successor will cater 
for a fisherman's wants and charter " Capt. John " and 
his Block Island built dory (always use your own gear), 
and if you want smooth water he will take you down to 



10 A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

Fire Island Inlet, where it is always so, or, if you want it 
rough, he will (if your sea legs are good), give you a run 
outside, where you will find from 1st of June, 10 to 12- 
pound blue fish. In two hours, with the same good skip- 
per, your humble servant hauled in over 1000 pounds, 
and weighing from V to 15 pounds each. But you want 
leather cots on two fingers and thumb of each hand or 
you will sigh for home. And then, again, at the same 
place, on the 1st to 20th of October, the fish are well fed 
and bound south to winter, hut they always stop in this 
inlet just to clean it out of all the bait ; and it is done 
pretty quickly. Use a metal jig and heavy linen cod 
line. The landlord will put up a good snack and send a 
carriage to and from the dory. It is the cleanest, neat- 
est fishing in the world. We never unhook the rascals. 
They can beat you at that game. You just throw the 
ravenous critter into the boat, line and all. These boats 
are roomy and smart. Take plenty of good cigars ; 
Capt. John likes them, if you don't. 

If you want a shorter trip, try it at Watch Hill for 
five pounds and upwards blue fish. You must always 
have good sea legs on for outside fishing. It is well to 
run Narraganset Beach, wind ofi" shore, with a long trail 
for blue fish. Take the harpoon along for an occasional 
sword fish. Off" New London harbor you can generally 
get good fun, and if you fail you can buy of other boats 
at a cheap rate and take the Shore Line R. R. home 
three times a day. Your friends need not put you under 
oath as to the " silver hooks," and New Londoners never 
peach on their customers. 

Reader — I have a desire that you should try your luck 
at Montauk Point, with a heavy squid as before men- 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 11 

tioned, and if it is a failure you just go on the beach 
outside, facing the Atlantic, ten rods or more from the 
light, make the better end of your line fast above high 
water mark, coil up your line for a long throw, follow 
the receding comber, and before he comes rolling back 
send the squid outside the second sea ; then up the bank 
for your life, and I will insure you a 15-pound weak lish, 
or a blue fish of the same size. But you must do it 
early in October. Here let me say that you will have no 
difficulty in finding a home with the keeper. I never 
knew a real genuine fisherman to be refused hospitality 
in such places. I never knew a mean, purse-proud, stingy 
fisherman. I have tried it from Cape May to Nantucket, 
including Long Island Sound ; from New Haven to Mon- 
tauk Point, both on the main and island side, and always 
found good quarters, not forgetting Plum Gut or Gard- 
ner's Bay. A real fisherman is a true philosopher. If 
the fish won't bite he always sees a reason for it, and you 
never find him mixed up with a parcel of larks who are 
always ready for fun, and, like the dog in the manger, 
" neither fish nor cut bait." The fisherman is ready to 
take any quarters offered him. He never ridicules the 
look of the table cloth or the soiled apron of the hostess ; 
never leaves his fishing boots in the sitting room, nor 
asks the price of board. If he has two or three real 
genuine cronies who have been tried in the piscatorial 
scales, who understand the ropes, not given to drink, or 
grumbling under any circumstances, and who never 
" stow away bait" or refuse to "pull kelleck" when or- 
dered, and who never mutiny or tell family secrets, then 
the landlord is ready to respond to your request to go 
a-fishing. But, if otherwise, he " shuts pan " on all appli- 



12 A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

cations for that voyage. I would not go fishing with a 
promiscuous set of people any sooner than I would steal 
bait. 

1 got my foot in that kind of mud once, and that will 
answer for life. 

It was made up that we should charter a Greenport 
smack for a week's fishing. Stores were laid in freely at 
New Haven, sweethearts and wives all kissed, and we on 
our way down Sound. The craft could scarcely stow 
away in bunks three persons beside the skipper and boy, 
much less the dozen " wild cats " that we numbered. 
Sleep was out of the question. The toddy stick danced 
in the glasses. The small stores were hoggishly strewed 
about the cabin and decks. The skipper had orders to 
run for Shag wanna Reef. The wind was light from the 
westward and the tide ebb. The noise in the cabin was 
being quieted down. I said to the skipper, "It is now 
about daylight. I know the way down Sound, and, as 
we have cut off your sleep, suppose you get a nap ; but 
leave the boy with me and we will call you if necessary." 
The old man crawled into the hold at the side of the 
well, boots and clothes all on (nautically, " all standing"), 
and in five minutes snored loud and deep. We were 
down abreast of Faulkner's Island at sunrise, with barely 
steering way on her. I made a confidant of my little 
companion, took a good long warp, made fast to the 
small boat, gave the boy 50 cents, sheared the smack 
close inside of "Light House Rock," jumped into the 
small boat, gave her a shear, and landed safely without 
a jar to the smack or boat. The little chap hauled his 
wind, and down Sound he went. The dog, " Watch," 
rightly named, was on guard, raising the question of 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 13 

trespass, and forbade my crawling up the bank. This 
brought out the family, with the good, kind Eli Kimberly 
at the lead. He called the dog off, bade me come up 
and report myself. I did so and gave him my name, 
adding that the smack yonder had a jolly set of boys on 
board, bound down Sound on a fishing frolic, and that I 
had mutinied, and for the trespass committed by landing 
on his island, I craved his forgiveness. 1 was introduced 
to his family, called in to a splendid breakfast, my story 
told with considerable satisfaction, in that I was so sud-' 
denly transferred from a " hell on earth," to a cluster of 
souls congenial in every respect, and here began an inti- 
macy and friendship that was bright and warm till the 
day of his death. On this island, which lies abreast of 
Guilford, five miles from the main, I found splendid fish- 
ing among the reefs and rocks, and with the old patriarch 
and his family always found a welcome. When he re- 
signed his responsibilities on the island, he very kindly 
gave me an introduction to Capt. Oliver X. Brooks, his 
successor, and I was highly honored by being installed 
into his beautiftd and happy family, with whom I have 
ever since received a happy welcome. God bless them all.* 
The writer, until within three years has had glorious 
fishing at this island through the kindness and direction 

* Faulkner's Island Light was established by the Grovernment in 
1801. It has had but four different keepers. Eli Kimberly occupied 
that position 33 years and was succeeded by Capt. Oliver N. Brooks, 
Nov. 18, 185] , and the same gentleman is yet in charge. Of its early 
keepers I have no data. The island is fast reducing in length and 
breadth by reason of gales. I consider Home Fishing here and vicinity 
better than I have ever found, and the hospitality extended me off and 
on for 30 years by both families is without its parallel. 



14 A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

of both Mr. Kimberly and his successor, Mr. Brooks, in 
company with Uncle Fred. Lines, his nephew Augustus 
E. Lines, and Eli Kimberly, 2d, and we sometimes dis- 
cussed the adventures over an annual dinner, at which 
time the poet tried his hand for a few verses, of which 
those which presently follow were counted the best. 
Death has made an inroad among us and the old patri- 
arch, Eli Kimberly, Esq., and our bosom friend Uncle 
Fred. Lines, the jolly Good Samaritan, have both been 
called from our ranks, and are waiting in the grave for 
the second coming of him whom they both loved and 
served faithfully. Our harps are on the willows ; our 
ranks are broken ; we mourn their loss, and " but a little 
longer stay" ourselves. 

The present occupant of Faulkner's Island, Capt. 
Oliver N. Brooks, like his predecessor, is a humane, kind- 
hearted gentleman, a perfect boatman and a Christian ; 
the family, a pattern for the world ; and the world wdll 
say "Amen " to my assertion. They are all adapted to 
the position, — with a " Grace Darling " among them who 
can aid the father in cases of shipwreck on those rocky 
surroundings, or as gently touch the keys of a piano, or 
the violin strings as any professor of music. And if a 
sudden emergency should arise requiring a broiler or a 
chowder, she can take the boat and catch and clean the 
fish just as neatly as the father can; but neither of 
them would expect to catch a game fish with the wind 
to the eastward. Salt water fishermen will please take 
note. 

And now for the poetry, thought to be " sum punkins " 
when introduced, and extolled wonderfully by those 
present at the table. The author began to think it did 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 15 

have some merit, but as he cast his eye around the table 
and remembered that every soul present, including the 
ladies, was admitted by the city at large to be much 
better judges in piscatorial matters than poetry, he felt 
more like taking his hat and cigar and retiring from the 
thunders of applause that were tendered. For who ever 
knew a No. 1 master of a ship to be a good merchant? 
or a fisherman a good poet ? It is not in the nature of 
things. Therefore, I promise to be found in the piscato- 
rial ranks all the rest of my days. It is a trade I gave 
particular attention to all through life from five years 
old and upwards (began at the creek which in 1810 was 
navigable for my "dug out" from the sea to Grand St., 
in New Haven), and will probably be closed out at Short 
Beach, Branford. 



TO ELI KIMBERLY, ESQ., OF GUILFORD. 

FROM HIS FRIEND C. F. H. 

In Eighteen Hundred Sixty-four, 'twas June, — 
I think the thirteenth day, not far from noon ; 
'Twas early in the week, I well remember ; — 

Three men with carpet bags well lined, 
Emerged from State street with anxiety to find 
The Shore Line road that leads down East, 
Where lives a hero whose locks are bleached. 

A council they had held for weeks 
"With Beckwith, whom everybody seeks 
If they intend a voyage to make, 
Where tides or winds or moons dictate. 



16 A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

The elder of the three was tall and slim,— 
I'm sure there is no mistaking him ; 
We call him " Good Samaritan," 
Ask all the poor within this region. 

He always wears about his neck, 
Both when he sleeps and when awake, 
A white cravat, — it is his custom ; 
And he's often taken for a Parson. 

The other two were younger men, 
The elder, past two score and ten ; 
We often see him loud in clamor, 
As he drops his auction hammer. 

'Twas said in early days of him, 
That by his name, he sure was kin 
To Hotchkiss, whom you well remember, 
Stole all the sheep away up yonder. 

I knew him well when quite a youngster, 
He always was inclined to wander ; 
He was a wicked, independent chap— 
how the master whaled his back ! 

I've known him when but quite a boy. 
To rob hen-roosts and e'en destroy 
Every old maid's cat within a mile. 
And sell the skins for quite a pile. 

But why detain you longer, friends ? 
We'll leave the youngster in his sins. 
And pray by the help of God, he may 
Kef orm and be a man some day. 

But to my story. And where's the last 
Of these three gents who walked so fast 
That one would think them on a wager, 
Or else had drank their full of lager ? 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 17" 

He was younger than the other men, 
And by attention to his trade, when 
Engravers were either fast asleep or tired, 
Accomi^hshed twice as much as men that's hired. 

He was active, thorough and up betimes, 
A habit quite peculiar to the Lines, 
For he and " Uncle Fred." could shoot 
Full twenty rods and kill a coot. 

Well, off they started down the street. 
Their tickets paid, each one seat. 
To Guilford, in the Nutmeg State, 
Where Eli third had dug the bait. 

From the depot where the cars do meet, 
I saw them start for Harbor street. 
Where lives our friend and his good wife. 
Away from all that tends to strife. 

Favored man, to have so kind a wife. 
To sooth the sorrows of a declining life I 
'Tis beautiful, indeed, thus hand in hand. 
To cheer each onward to the promised land. 

But to my story, and then to bed, 
To dream of fish hooks, " lines " and lead, 
Old Faulkner, too, must have a share. 
Unless thrown out by " Old Nightmare." 

At last the morning came, 'twas bright and clear. 
The sun not up but mighty near ; 
The wind was light, about South-west, 
The breakfast one of Madam's best. 

Well, there was Minnie, that good boat. 
As good as if made of solid oak ; 
She turned her head about South-west, 
And away she sped to do her best. 
2 



18 A 1>ISH OF CHOWDER. 

Old Faulkner, she was there in sight, 
Groose Island, too, loomed up quite bright, 
North-rocks, three-quarter, also, by reason of the ebb, 
Had just begun to show their head. 

"Ease off the sheet," the old man roared, 
" The wind is free, haul up the board ! 
Head her for the wharf, stand by your line, 
Let's call on 'Brooks,' and save the fine." 

And now the " permit " kindly granted. 
Winkles bagged, the wharf inspected. 
Fish hooks sharpened, kelleck ready, 
Away they went for outer Stony. 

And then to work with hooks all bright. 
The fish are coming left and right ; 
" Bal" says the old man, " what's the matter. 
With Uncle Fred, in such a splatter ?" 

" First fish!" my boy, and such a lounder. 
As Eli hauled an awful flounder ; 
" Ha! it don't count," rung in the air 
As Hotchkiss hauled a pretty pair. 

" Now go it, Gussy, that's the kind, 
Don't loose him, play him, give him line." 
'' Hurrah for Uncle Fred !" one said. 
As in he hauled a hook and lead. 

" Come, it's time to car," the old man said, 
" Let's save the lish before they're dead; 
We counted in an awful number. 
Including the skipper's line and sinker. 

"Hurrah!" the whole boat's crew did cry. 
As in the stern sheets they could spy 
The old rat hauling by the pair 
Another line, — he always has a spare. 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 19 

*' Hurrah I Hurrah I the boat I the boat ! 
" They cried," she'll never float 
With all these fish, let's kelleck pull ; 
" By Jingo I it's true she's nearly full." 

Poor Minnie, as she started in, 

"With all this precious load of sin, 

With fish well stowed in every nook, 

She seemed to whisper, " Who's high hook ?" 

Now all good people on the Bay 
As Minnie turned her head that way, 
Came looking in her, every nook, 
And cried aloud, " Who's high hook?" 

The old man, then, with face all bright. 
His left eye squint, his mouth all right, 
Replied, " My friend, this is no fiction. 
For Hotchkiss catches all creation." 

So now, old friend, I send the Jacket, 
To keep you dry amid the racket ; 
My prayers to God shall never cease 
That in Paradise we meet in peace. 



If the reader is inclined for a fare of black fish, with 
an occasional sea bass, he should try old " Shagwanna," 
— the East end on the ebb tide, and West on the flood. 
The reef lies inside of Montank Point on the island side. 
You need a hand lead line in case the Rip shows itself. 
With small lobster and good sized clams for bait you 
can't miss them, say two hours on the ebb through slack 
water and one hour flood. You can get to it from New 
London, Sag Harbor, or Plum Gut. If you are not short- 
ened for time, try it in the Race with three hooks about 
half an hour on the low-water slack. It will pay you, 



20 A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

sure. In the month of October, you should go to Green- 
port or Sag Harbor, pick out a good boat and skipper, 
the latter smart, kindly disposed, and not too proud to 
dig your bait ; not too wise on national matters ; not too 
talkative ; not a rum sucker, nor a harum-scarum, swear- 
ing braggadocio, but a good, quiet gentleman, one who 
knows sufficient to take good care of his wife, boat and 
passenger. Rig yourself out with a good set of "oilers," 
and never start out with the wind east. I say again, 
take your own gear, a small basket of " snack," and a 
good jack-knife in your pocket. Hand fishing, remember, 
all through this country. But, to sum up the fishing 
(and I have worked at it more or less for more than a half 
century), get the acquaintance of the King of Faulkner's 
Island, Capt. O. N. Brooks and family ; carry good cre- 
dentials ; wait on yourself; learn the tides and the rocks ; 
get him to show you " Sharp Rock " (Stony Island Reef), 
"North Rocks," Shepherd's Rock, "Old Table" (well 
baited up), "Outer ledge," on North Reef, East Reef, 
etc., etc., and if you don't thank me for the suggestion 
I shall put you down as a person possessing neither good 
judgment or entitled to the cognomen of a fisherman. 
But don't be mean when you shake hands to part, and if 
he won't take it, put it under your plate. 

^. good fisherman never can be small or mean if he 
tries. 

One more : If by stress of weather you are driven oif 
shore, you just shape your course for this island. You 
can make a lee any time, and once within his jurisdiction 
you will rejoice that you are shipwrecked, for the Captain 
and every soul on the island each have hearts as big as 
an ox. It would not distress the writer if some day 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 21 

while he is fishing at the " Cow and Calf," off Short 
Beach in his little eight-foot dingey, he should lose his 
row-locks and both oars, wind blowing a hurricane N. W., 
and be driven down Sound ; for if I had Faulkner's 
Island under my lee, I would sing and whistle " Hail, 
Columbia, happy land," all the way down to the island 
and shoot the dingey into his harbor, where many a 
*'greenhorn" or shipwrecked crew have found shelter 
and a welcome from the storm. And further, it would 
not be a very bitter pill to take if, after hauling the little 
dingey up on the beach, I should get fog-bound for a 
week. It is one of the best places for a real genuine, 
genteel fisherman on the coast. Of course my reader 
will understand the requisite qualifications to enable him 
to enter into all the privileges of this beautiful home, 
and enjoy fishing to his heart's content. But where is 
my text? "A rolling stone gathers no moss." Let us 
see how this will apply to the author during his life. 
" Experience is the best schoolmaster," and it is generally 
admitted that those who have this schooling are the 
safest parties to impart advice. 

At twelve years old, at the New Township Academy, 
New Haven, corner of Chapel and Academy streets, the 
author graduated with sixty others by defacing the school 
room and driving the master out and up Chapel street. 
This was my last schooling. [It was my fault, and not 
of my good kind parents.] I smuggled myself on board 
a whale ship lying in the cove at New Haven, and on 
the third day was caught and sent ashore. At thirteen 
I went to sea by consent of parents with Capt. Peter 
Storer, and followed up that life till twenty-two years 
old. Married and went into merchandise, and afterwards 



22 A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

as special sheriff at Rochester, N. Y. Returned to New 
Haven ; ran a coaster to Albany ; moved to New York ; 
merchandised eleven years or more ; returned to New 
Haven ; next packed beef in Illinois ; moved to Ohio 
and packed butter and pork ; returned to New Haven ; 
opened an auction room on Chapel st.; ran it two years j 
gained sufficient for a good outfit for California ; returned 
and opened another butter store in New Haven, and 
afterward moved to Kansas ; returned to New Haven ; 
worked hard ; began to pick up the crumbs by the aid 
of Gerard Hallock, built a good house corner of Columbus 
and Liberty streets, w^ell furnished and paid for it ; made 
an asylum for all good pilgrims ; feasted them and their 
friends; always kept "two upper chambers," like the 
Shunamite woman, for the men of God, without regard 
to sect, age, or condition ; opened a large auction room 
on State st.; drove it night and day; got tired; closed 
it out in six years ; made |22,000 ; wife sick with asthma ; 
moved to Yineland, N. J., invested $8,000, fenced a farm, 
with a nice cottage, where I could in a few hours take a 
run down to Cape May and fish. Could not get sufficient 
off the farm to support the family ; changed the farm for 
property in Philadelphia; made other shifts, but the final 
result was a loss. Returned to New Haven with the 
body of a kind, good wife, who had shared in these ups 
and downs of life, without a murmur or complaint. Had 
sufficient capital for any reasonable business ; put in 
$10,000 in real estate, reserving sufficient for an auction 
business. Ran the latter two years, but the business 
was spoiled or else the writer was, and wound it up, the 
former a total loss — and every other piece of real estate 
met the same result. But I never whine nor grumble. 



A DISH OF CHOWDER. 23 

So, one day, seated in my old arm chair, reviewing the 
past scenes of life, I came to the conclusion that "A roll- 
stone gathers no moss." One word now on friends. If 
you succeed by hard knocks to get a little of the ready, 
you may be sure that friends will be after it. It is 
your bosom friends that you need to fear. It may be 
your case as in mine, those " with whom you walk to- 
gether to the House of God." If you have not the 
courage to say NO when these friends apply for your 
endorsement, go home and ask counsel of your wife ; 
after this, should you decide to give him your name, for 
God's sake don't endorse beyond your ability to pay, 
and then do it like a man, without the aid of the Bank- 
rupt Law. I thank God that I never went through that 
gate, though it was enacted for the honest man. The 
time was when men's word was as good as their bond, 
and endorsers were protected ; but now " men are truce 
breakers," " incontinent and liars." The " truth is not 
in them." Remember that if you lend your name, you 
lose your money and your friend both. 

Ecclesiasticus is truthful when he says, " Many a thing 
was lent them, reckoned it to be found, and put them to 
trouble that helped them." " Till he hath received he 
will kiss a man's hand, and for his neighbor's money he 
will speak submissively ; but when he should repay he 
will prolong the time, return words of grief and complain 
of the time ; many, therefore, have refused to lend for 
other men's ill dealings, fearing to be defrauded. Surety- 
ship hath undone many of good estate and shaken them 
as the waves of the sea, mighty men hath it driven from 
their houses so that they wandered among strange 
nations. But — forgive thy neighbor the hurt he hath 



24 A DISH OF CHOWDER. 

clone thee. So shall thy sins be forgiven thee when thou 
pray est." 

Now a few words of advice to inexperienced fishermen. 
Approach a spot where others are engaging in the same 
amusement with great caution and stillness. Give your 
neighbor a good berth, and never drop your boat over 
his fishing ground. Never slam your " kelleck " over, 
but guide it carefully to the bottom, and as she tails to 
the tide or wind, be sure that the boat swings clear of 
your neighbor. Always carry a good long warp that you 
may carefully drop down over new ground. If your 
neighbor is- successful, don't disturb him with noise or 
movement of any kind. Fish can hear better than you 
can (old philosophy to the contrary notwithstanding), 
and by reckless movements you drive the fish off from 
any small reef. In a quiet day I can drive a shoal of 
porpoises out of our bay by a few taps on the gunwale 
of my boat ; but if I am on a reef of small dimensions 
and do this, I may as well up kelleck, go home and fish 
in the well as to expect a black fish or sea bass to take 
the hook for a half hour. Do you purposely enter a 
trout stream through brush heaps and wood-choppers ? 
No; you approach that stream on tiptoe, lest the game 
should be alarmed. Well, apply the same care in your 
operations with salt water fish, otherwise you never will 
be " high hook " in that region. When I get a shoal of 
blue or weak fish around my boat I seal my lips and 
^' throw stosh " till the last ; and, if they break off short 
.and suddenly, I know it's all up in that location. The 
shark or porpoise drove them off, or the same result by 
a passing boat or the change of tide. If I was a young 
man, inclined to fish from a boat, I would as soon rob an 



A DISH OF CHOWDEK. 25 

old fisherman of his toddy as to disturb him while he is 
fishing. Then give him a good berth and see that the 
sin of disturbing him while in the enjoyment of his oc- 
cupation don't lay at your door. Take no loud talkers 
with you in your boat. Do as I do, better go alone, with 
a conscience void of offence toward God or man. But, 
above all things, don't disturb anybody in fishing, and 
then, if called upon to explain, throw yourself on your 
dignity and tell the old man to help himself, for "the 
waters are free to all." I have heard this too much. 
"Ye are my witnesses." I believe that a soul guilty of 
this crime of disturbing an old fisherman is as liable to 
be lost as for theft. 

And now, when you can't find a better place on the 
shore to summer and fish, come to my boarding house. 
Short Beach, Branford, Conn.; stages three times a 
day, from New Haven. Price of board, llO.OO a week. 
Open June 1st to November. 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

Foot of Wall street, New York— 1000 people on the Dock— Fasts 
singled — Strange interference — Wild scenes in James st. — New life 
to surrounding— Skipper cries "Let go."— Pilot assumes his duties 
—Mutiny— Sam the cook— Signal for off Pilot— Stand by for Pilot 

boat — Farewell — Bang went the Carronade — Put her E. S. E. 

Sealing in Massafuro— Off Western Islands— "Ize no 'lijah, Massa" 

— Sam's faith — A Ship's Spar — Sea Bass weighing 25 lbs. each 

The boy high hook— Sam's Chowder— Kev. Goodell— Shark and his 
Pilot — Boy victorious— Eushing scenes on deck— Sam's soliloquy on 
Turtle — Jim Cook overboard — Whistling for a Breeze— Whirrah ! 
for a spanking Breeze— Shaped course for Cape St. Vincent— At 
anchor in Gibraltar Bay— Nations under tribute to Gibraltar— Siege 
of Gibraltar— Moorish Jew and petit Senorita— Departure for Malta 
—Wonderful escape off Mount Stromboli— A Levanter— Honor to 
whom Honor is due— Eub and Go is a good Pilot— Quarantine mum- 
mery — Sam 's away down in Dixy — Men hanging in chains — Turkey 
Buzzards— St. Paul's Church at Malta— Napoleon's Raid— Smoke 
House at Lazaretta— Knights of Malta and Jerusalem— Ancient City 
of Mileta-St. Paul's Cave— Ladrone of the Ancient City— Hard 
Fight on the Marina— Sam to the rescue— Departure for Sicily- 
Mount ^tna— 20,000 people on the Marina— Earthquake at Messina 
—Inspection of .Etna by the author and Commodore Ehsha Peck, 
of New Haven— History by ancient Authors— 93,000 people de- 
stroyed—Adieu to Sicily— Homeward Bound with 80 sail of Vessels 
— A severe Gale — Sam again a Hero — Many a slip between the cup 
and the lip— Vessel on her beam ends— Cowardice of Sailors- 
Skipper a Host ! read it, read it, for the author cannot do the sub- 
ject justice—" Ye cowards, you ! try the pumps and go below till I 



28 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAjST. 

call you" — Continuous G-ale — Soundings off Chincoteage Shoal — 
Codfish plenty — Blown off the Coast three times — Anchored in the 
Horse Shoe — Author's life again saved by Sam when knocked off 
main yard ; never born to be drowned. 

FIFTY-SIX years ago the neat little full-rigged brig 
Shepherdess, owned by Hotchkiss & Harrison, of 
New Haven, formerly a crack Charleston packet, under 
Oapt. Bill Lines, but in 1822 in charge of Capt. Peter 
Storer, who is now resting on his laurels in his 
own Snug Harbor at Westville, full fourscore years 
and seven, hale and hearty, a true gentleman and 
a genuine old salt, — lay at the dock foot of Wall 
street. New York, bound to the Mediterranean, having 
on board Revs. Goodell and Bird with their wives, 
for the Palestine Mission, and to be landed at Malta. 
Everything about the little craft was neat and tidy as a 
man-of-war, — topsails sheeted home, fasts singled, and a 
large concourse of people on the dock to bid adieu to 
missionaries, with the usual number of dock wallopers 
without any particular object in view. The wind strong 
N. W. over the city, the tide just on the ebb, the skipper 
and pilot stood on the quarter-deck in the wake of the 
main rigging, and your humble servant at the wheel, 
where the former cast an eye as if to learn whether that 
post was filled, and seemingly just ready to nudge the 
pilot that all was ready, when a great commotion was 
seen on the dock. A colored man in full speed, swing- 
ing his hat, running, crying ^ Hold on ! Hold on ! Cap- 
tain." (A singular interference certainly.) " What do 
you want ?" cried the skipper, as he stretched his head 
over the crowd of people. " Stop a minute. Captain !" 
came from the messenger, as he made his way through 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITEKRANEAN. 29 

the throng and placed one foot on the wharf log, caught 
his breath, and, pomting to the cook who sat in the door 
of his " galley," " Here, yon, Jim Butterfield, come 
ashore ! Your old woman is dying in New Haven. 
Come ashore, dis minit ! I'se telling you de trufe ; don't 
you go dis vige. Jump ashore, Jim ! Yuse got a baby, 
Jim and — " 

We heard no more, but the shouts of the people and 
dive that the old cook made for the dock was a splendid 
scene for an artist, for he grasped the hand of the mes- 
senger, jumped the rail, and up the dock they went, and 
he, like a faithful husband, left all his dunnage behind, 
the vessel without a cook, not even saying to the skipper 
" by your leave, sir." Capt. Peter had stood in his usual 
position with a smile more of pity than anger. Casting 
his eye aloft he spanned all the surroundings, while the 
little craft, like a high-spirited horse, was chafing as the 
wind gave an increased pressure to the canvass and bid 
fair to part her fastenings or carry away her spars. He 
turned to the mate, Mr. Alfred Thomas, brother of our 
ex-Postmaster, L. A. Thomas, Esq., and said, " Put the 
main-royal in the beckets, settle down the topsails and 
topgallant sails, clew up the courses, furl the jib and 
stay-sail !" and, like a true philosopher as he was a true 
sailor, turned his eye to the dock, w^here stood a- number 
of colored men, and said, " Which of you boys will ship 
as cook? $18.00 a month, about six months, and up the 
Mediterranean ? Who speaks first ?" when I heard a 
clear, musical voice as though from a speaking trumpet, 
ring out from between two large, broad, thick red lips, 
and I traced the sound to a long, lank Maryland-looking 
darkey, who stood leaning on a dock spile, his body six 



30 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

feet two high, with a happy smile on his countenance, 
large white eyes, body w^ell dressed, clean white linen 
collar reaching to his ears, an umbrella and whip in his 
hand, apparently about " three sheets in the wind," or, 
as an Englishman would say, " 'arf and 'arf ;" but some- 
how I w^as favorably struck with the man, especially as 
the reply to the skipper came ricochetting through my 
ears—" I'll go, sar." " Well," says Capt. Peter, " where's 
your dunnage ?" " Dase be up to James street, sar." 
" How long will it take to get them and yourself back 
here ?" " Jes' a few minits, sar !" And the captain 
turned to me and said: " Boy, you take this darkey and 
in just one hour return him with his dunnage, and plant 
him in the caboose." 

No more words were necessary. I dropped the wheel, 
jumped on the rail, reached out my hand, clasped that 
of the darkey, and made a good nice ten-foot leap of it 
and landed partly on my feet and in his arms, and as 
we gathered for a run I looked up in his shining black 
face and asked his name. " My name he's Sam Chace, 
massa," was the reply, and away we went. I chartered 
a dray at the head of the dock, turned up South st. to 
Burling slip, turned into Water St., w^iile the great long- 
spliced Sam had a death-like grip on the forw^ard rung 
of the cart, and both my arms around his waist, and we 
w^ent John Gilpin like over the stones to James st., where 
we were dumped. Sam had an eye to business, as he 
sprang for a gate-way, into a side-yard full of clothes 
and clothes lines, up an outside stairs, through a trap 
door, which opened into an old dilapidated ball room, 
where " those that dance must pay the fidler." Half a 
dozen colored females were smoking off the fumes of 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 31 

rum, " looking like the sad effects of a misspent day." 
But Sam did not stop here. I sighted him as he straddled 
over a vacancy in the flooring, down a pair of stairs into 
a grocery fronting on a lane. It may truly be said " a 
stern chase is a long chase." Sam's walking stilts were 
useful as well as ornamental, but he could beat the wind. 
He steered straight to the bar, slammed in a fair good- 
sized drink from a decanter, got it to his mouth just in 
time for me to " cork him," and he took it like a philos- 
pher, threw down the glass and sung out in a very com- 
manding tone, " Here, landlord ! gin me half gallon rum 
and two pounds sugar ; leve 'em be in de measure till I 
want um. And here, you Jane ! go dis minit get my 
duds. I'se going to sea in fifteen minits wid dis here child- 
ers." And the wail that went up from the dozen women 
present was truly heart-rending. Jane exclaimed, "Now 
Sam, duz yuse mean de trufe — youze goang to sea ?" 
But there was no time for argument or reason. The 
news of Sam's departure went through the neighborhood 
and in five minutes we had a large concourse of both 
males and females, — some on barrels, boxes, broken 
chairs, and many that could only lean — the whole scene, 
including the bar, forming a portion of a circle was lively 
in the exti'eme, Sam standing in a position commanding 
a view of the whole. The landlord, as ordered, put in 
two quarts more of rum in the measure, each but the 
hero drinking freely, Jane just entering the door with 
Sam's duds, when our hero threw down two dollars on 
the bar, grabbed Jane by the waist with a kiss, took up 
the gallon measure and gave the contents a circular fliit 
over the whole audience, exclaiming, " Here, you brack 
darters of Adam, take de balance on it and get sober 



32 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITEEEANEAN. 

agin I come back." Not a drop did Sam take, but, turn- 
ing to me with a liv^ely expression of pleasure, said, 
" Now, Massa Charley, I'se ready to go." And, amid the 
roar of laughter of some, and the wailing of others, we 
turned our faces, found the carman at his post. " Off" 
was the orders. Turned into South st., made rather a 
crooked wake, but a safe landing at the foot of Wall st. 
Found the wind still N. W., a thousand people on the 
dock, paid the carman two dollars, installed Sam in the 
galley inside of fifty minutes. 

A new life came to the surroundings. The pilot wiped 
the ashes from his cigar, the skipper assumed the weather 
quarter-deck and said, " Mr. Thomas, let go clue lines, 
buntlines and down haul ; sheet home ; up both topsails, 
topgallant sails. Here, boy ! throw the main royal out 
of the beckets ; up spanker ; clear away jib and stay- 
sail down-hauls ; ruji them both up. What do you say 
up there, boy ?" and the answer " Hoist away, sir," came 
warbling back from the topgallant crosstrees through a 
cracked voice just on the change. " Clear the spanker 
sheets ; let the boom shake till we get the true wind." 
And " Are you ready, Mr. Thomas ?" " Aye, sir," was 
the reply, "All ready, sir." And as I slipped down the 
main-topgallant back stays without touching a rattling, 
the skipper turned to me and said, " Boy, take the 
wheel," and in the same breath, the mate by a signal 
cried "All ashore that's going ! In gang plank ! Stand 
by your lines !" when the skipper, in his sweet musical 
voice, cried " Let go !" Cheer upon cheer went up from 
the shore and neighboring shippmg, off went our car- 
ronade, whose muzzle stuck over the taffrail, and the 
skipper in his quiet, gentlemanly way, tipped his hat to 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITEERANEAN. 33 

the audience on shore, and turning to the pilot gave him 
the command. 

With the full strength of the ebb tide and cracking 
breeze the little craft, with head pointed down stream, 
" walked the waters like a thing of life," and seemed to 
say — Clear the track. I have no time to lose; the 
precious work in hand is to carry glad tidings to 
the people of Palestine, and like Nehemiah of old in 
building the walls of Jerusalem, have no time to 
talk. AAvay, then, ye Sanbalets, Tobiahs, and Ger- 
shoms, for "why should the work cease whilst I leave 
it and come down to you ?" Place no obstructions 
in my way. God furnishes the wind that wafts us on 
our voyage, and not one feeble " cat's paw " must be lost. 

" Starboard !" cried the pilot. " So — steady that — 
steady, sir," was the reply, and if the boy did not show 
pride he certainly felt it in his boots, doing an able sea- 
man's duty on his third voyage, at fifteen years of age. 
The skipper sat on the weather cable box, smoking a 
splendid Havana of his own manufacture, a silent obser- 
ver, with an eye aloft occasionally, measuring in his own 
mind the full strength of spars, back-stays and canvas. 
The pilot stood in the wake of the main rigging, his eye 
reaching under the leach of the foresail, and over the 
weather cat-head, and turning to the skipper said, "Cap- 
tain, she goes like a scalded hog, and plump ten knot an 
hour. Is your standing rigging good ?" and before the 
reply came, the little brig, pressed by a real good puff 
of wind, stuck her nose into a combing " tide rip," and 
took the water in through both hawse holes. I never 
knew what reply the skipper made, but he turned to me 
with a twinkle in his eye and said, " Boy, do you want 
3 



34 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

any help at the wheel?" " None, sir; for she steers like 
a duck," was the reply, and the old man knew it ; for the 
voyage previous he and myself, " trick-a-trick" scud her 
twenty-two hours through a real tearing gale of wind, 
and not another hand touched the wheel. That was on 
a voyage home from Malaga, Isaac English, mate, and 
sick below. But let us turn to the scenes around us, for 
they began to be interesting. The flood tide had met us 
in the Narrows, and with it the old roll of the Atlantic. 
The wind still freshened and wore westerly. All the light 
kites were in the beckets and gaskets. The four mission- 
aries had passed below under the usual premonitions of 
sea-sickness. The crew, partly " mops and brooms," 
were growling with the mate about the usual rations of 
grog, he thinking they would expect, as was the custom 
then, to have grog passed when taking " distance and 
departure," and if the wind held that event would soon 
take place. Good, kind-hearted man, he was fearful that, 
come to add the fourth ration and the " sweethearts and 
wives " in the course of another hour to what they had 
when they left the dock, they might not be able to carry 
the whole load without a fight. 

Mr. Thomas was a young man, a Christian gentleman 
and a genuine sailor, a man of resolution and gentleness, 
withal, but if the case required action and could not be 
adjusted without it, he could walk into treble his weight, 
and the parties in interest would find themselves whipped 
before they knew it, — much like our old friend R. S. P. 
Well, the question was satisfactorily adjusted in less than 
two minutes, and without its being known abaft the 
mainmast, by his picking up the tw^o ringleaders, dumped 
them down the forecastle hatch and kept them there till 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERKANEAN. 35 

sober next morning. The usual rations were reserved 
till outside the Hook. Good for the mate. Now for Sam 
Chace, the cook, who during all this time had been 
drumming up his galley traps, scoured tins and coppers, 
mustered up towels, and everything was in apple-pie 
order, with a stream of smoke issuing^^ from his galley 
€qual to a Londonderry steamship, and had brought him- 
self to an anchor in the weather door of his caboose, with 
his good sweet face peering out, having cast oft his shore 
togs and mounted what he called his wedding rig, — a 
beautiful middy's cap on his head, trimmed with gold 
lace, marked over the front " Sobriety," worked on rich 
black velvet. His shirt collar of whice linen before de- 
scribed, had given place to a clean blue man-of-war shirt, 
worked anchors on each lap of the collar, open in the 
throat, heavy No, 2 white duck pants, held up by the 
hips, a beautiful white linen handkerchief stuck in the 
pocket behind, a small silver comb back of his head, 
holding a long, curled Chinese cue, and a splendid pair 
of serge slippers, 12 size, sleeves rolled up, showing tattoo 
in Indian red ink, and a large dolphin on his breast. 
There he sat like a Prince of Timbuctoo, humming to 
himself in a low key "Away down in Dixey." Every 
thing inside his galley " shone like a negro's eye agin the 
moon." Ah, thinks T, here's music for the voyage. An 
extra lunch had been laid on the capstan head for the 
captain and pilot, a signal had been set for an off pilot 
boat and she was laying by for us about five miles off, 
and for which we were heading. The luncli was finished, 
the pilot assumed his former position, the wind had wore 
more westerly, the skipper had lighted a fresh cigar, 
when Sam in all his glory, with a cup of coffee and a 



36 A VOYAGE rP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

" slapper," on a tray stepped out of his galley, walked 
straight up to the skipper, tipped his lace cap and point- 
ing to me, still at the wheel, said, " Sar, wid your leave, 
a cup of coffee for dat chicken, sar ?" and, as he received 
a nod of assent, laid the traps over the binnacle, came 
round under my lee and said, " Honey, you go dare and 
' mungee,' it be hulsome for uze belly ; it warm you better 
dan rum." And he put his feeler on the w^heel as supple 
as any old salt, whispering in my ear, " Hurry, child ! dis 
pilot is going to lebe us." And I gave him the helm and 
his course with as much confidence of his seamanship as 
of his kind heart. The pilot boat, with jib to windward, 
had launched his little dingey, then about half a mile 
distant, and as I returned to my post Sam whispered 
again, smoothing down his belly, " Dere, honey, dat is 
good ! For when dis ere child is hungry, go way child ! 
go w^ay ! but when my belly's full, a little child can play | 

wid me," and the old negro left me completely in his ^ 

favor, an aftection planted on the dock at Wall St., and 
nursed by almost continuous contact for a dozen years or 
more, till his death. The pilot's duty had closed, and 
our skipper resumed his charge, and standing on the 
weather quarter his familiar voice came to the ear of all, 
" Stand by for the pilot's small boat ! Port your helm ! 
Let her come easy, boy ! Stand by lee main braces i 
Steady your helm ! Main topsail haul ! Round with 
your yards ! So, belay that !" And in an instant the 
pilot dropped into his little dingey, waving adieu and 
pleasant voyage. The little brig had not lost her way. 
Bang went the carronade as the skij^per said, " Hard up 
vour helm ! Shiver the yards ! Meet her with your 
helm ! Fill away main yards ! Steady, boy, steady 1 



A VOYAGE IIP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 37 

How do you head now?" " S. W., sir," came the re- 
sponse. " Starboard a little, now what?" " S. by E., 
sir," " Put her E. S. E. and keep that course till further, 
orders. Trim her at that, Mr. Thomas," and then " ('ome 
aft and we will take bearings and distance, and make 
up the watches for the voyage." It was now six p. m. 
The breeze held good, rate by log, nine knots. Watches 
were arranged, and my lot fell to the skipper. Long- 
spliced Jim (/ook, of the mate's watch, relieved the 
helm, and the boy was soon in close confab with his new 
crony the cook, and as you have had considerable display 
of nautical phrases thus far, it will answer for the voyage, 
the remainder of the Journal will be devoted to incidents, 
historical, piscatorial, and amusing, — founded on fact, 
not fiction. 

The starboard watch had the charge, and your humble 
servant with the skipper were pacing the main deck. 
The night was beautiful, the wnnd just abaft the beam, 
every stitch of canvas doing its duty, and the log at 
twelve denoted eight knots. The skipper said, " In 1802 
I was in the ship Sally with my father, Capt. Nathaniel 
Storer, laying in Hell Gate harbor on the coast of Pata- 
gonia, gathering a cargo of seal. The weather was cold, 
the interior mountains full of snow, and at that season 
the seal would land at the shore and beach in great 
quantities, comprising the female with the young ' pom- 
pys' at her side, and the male, called 'old wig.' The 
skin of the former was the object of our voyage, while 
the pompey was useless. The old wigs are not plenty, 
nor are their skins desirable, the covering being coarse 
hair and a mantle ai'ound his neck of long gray. They 
are all entirely harmless and show no disposition "to de- 



38 A VOYAGE TIP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

fend themselves, but will make for the water on the 
approach of their captors ; consequently their retreat is 
cut off and they are easily killed by clubs. They may 
be in rookeries of 50 or 500, and seldom but one old wdg 
seen in a rook. When a sufficient number are killed for 
the day they are skinned, taking care of cutting the hide, 
stretched on pegs, salted en board the ship, and, in this 
case, 45,000 taken to Canton and sold for 87^ cents each. 
The skinning process proceeds while the young pompys 
are at the side of the mother crying piteously, and were 
taken up by the lad. Our skipper petted and soothed 
them like a young child. The sea lion is the male of the 
old wig, of no use but for oil. They weigh 300 or 400 
pounds, and our hero, having no duties to perform, spent 
his time on shore riding on the backs of these creatures 
and playing with the pompys or puppies." 

The little craft had held the westerly wind, a light 
leading breeze, the weather had been splendid thus far, 
our passengers had put on their sea legs and were chat- 
ting on the quarter deck, the crew had become sober, we 
in a lovely climate and a smooth sea. By observation 
we found ourselves in the vicinity of St. Michael, one of 
the Azores or Western Islands, the wind nearly a calm, 
surrounded with drift w^eed, and occasionally a green 
turtle in sight, about 100 miles from land, and here, no 
doubt, we w^ere to remain a week or more, whistling for 
a breeze. " Horse latitude, by Jingo !" exclaimed the 
skipper, as he threw his old cap on the deck and called 
Sara, the cook, aft and said, "How do you stand for fresh, 
Sam?" "Well, sar, dere be no beef left sin' Sunday; 
wese got 5 pair chicks, 15 ducks, 2 grunt ers and plenty 
of de sarce, sar !" The skipper cast his eye in the wake 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 39 

of the fore-rigging, put his spy-glass to his eye, turned 
to Sam and said, " Give us a real good, rich fish chowder 
for dinner; put in plenty of pork and port wine, and be 
ready with your dinner when we get the sun at meridian." 
Sam rolled up his eyes in amazement, and exclaimed, 
"I'se no 'lijah, Massa ! I'se got no fish, dis child can't make 
fish ? can't make chowder widout fish, Massa !" " Never 
you mind, Sam, get your potatoes and pork sliced, and 
in half an hour you shall have fish; you want faith, 
Sam." The cook went forward in wonder, soliloquizing 
as he went. The skipper knew where the fish were, and 
sang out, " Stand by there on the forecastle with a line, 
and get a running bowline round that spar, just under 
the lee bow." And sure enough, there were the fish. 
The water was black with sea bass which had been feed- 
ing on barnacles attached to the spar, apparently a large 
ship's mast, broken below the hounds aud about twenty 
feet long. The barnacles were of the clam species, about 
two inches long, and completely encased the spar. The 
prize was dropped astern. The fish, though a little dis- 
turbed at first, soon became reconciled to the situation, 
and returned to the spar. It was a sight for a lifetime, 
the water being black with real genuine sea bass, w^eigh- 
ing from 5 to 25 pounds, and a thousand in number. If 
Sir Izaak Walton, or Sam Drake, of Rochester, could 
have witnessed that scene there would have been some 
tall expressions, though the former, it is said, never 
swore an oath in his life. Sea bass of 2 to 8 pounds, 
caught in§ide of Montauk Point are counted, for broiling 
and chowder, the best salt water fish. The male is dis- 
tinguished by bright, variable brown and blue shades. 
But let us return to the scene on deck. The skipper 



40 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITEERANEAN. 

was throwing the grains and the mate the harpoon, and 
the fish were coming right and left, while your humble 
servant, never without good gear, used the hook and line, 
and the water being clear and fish near the surface, he 
could take his pick of size. The officers mutilated their 
fish, while the hook and line brought them on deck in all 
their beauty and glory, and besides, the youngster came 
off* high hook. We had about thirty fish on deck, when 
the skipper ordered the prize to be cast off", adding, "we 
have all the fish we can care for. It is wicked to have 
them spoil." Sam was, of course, on hand for a fish, and 
had cut the throat of the skipper's first, weighing about 
eight pounds, and as your humble servant hauled in a 
24-pounder Sam fastened to him as he struck the deck, 
and exclaimed, " Massa Charley, I'se got faith now, our 
skipper is a prophetum. I juss takes dis big fellow, cos 
he's a cracker forde chowder, and de tutherun for broil." 
And when the officers had taken the sun at meridian, 
Sam walked into the cabin with an immense kettle of 
chowder, that by its savory smell would tempt Queen 
Victoria or make Izaak Walton laugh both sides of his 
mouth, and having served the cabin he filled the fore- 
castle kids, and we had a meal delicious and long to be 
remembered. The whole affair was a splendid ovation, 
commenced without faith and closed on time, agreeable 
to orders. And here is Sam's recipe for the chowder : 

Put the iron kettle on a slow fire, of a capacity suflBcient for your 
family. 

Put in a layer of clear sliced salt pork. 
Put in a layer of clear cuts of fish, 

free from bone as possible. 
Put in a layer of clear sliced potatoes. 
"Water to cover, only. 



A VOYAGK Ur THE MEDITEIUIANEAN. 41 

Repeat the three layers twice, after which one pound butter, pepper 
and salt to suit. Pour m one pint brandy, one pint catsup, one pint 
port wine, the juice of six lemons (fresh). Then, for the purpose of 
knowing when done, put three good sized potatoes on top. No pilot 
bread or crackers in the kettle, but they should be toasted, stewed in 
butter and served separate. No meal or flour, don't burn, nor forget 

the lemons. 

Serve the chowder from the kettle, unless you have extra large 
platters. Fish cuts should be tied in muslin. 

But the calm still -prevailed, and all the whistling we 
conld muster would not bring a breeze. The following 
day was Smiday, and at 10 a.m. all hands were called 
aft for religious services. Sermon from Rev. Mr. Goodell. 
Weather hot, made hardly tolerable by an awning over 
quarter deck. Several green turtle in sight on the sur- 
face. Saw a large shoal of right whale going west, 
apparently in a fight with several large threshers. Por- 
poises in shoals were turning feats amusing and certainly 
interesting, and it seemed as though the water was i'uU 
of fish. A large shark made his appearance on our 
quarter, about fifty rods ofi", and as the four o'clock watch 
was relieved the author set to work for a more intimate 
acquaintance with him. I rigged out a good hook and 
line, baited with sea bass. The vessel had barely steer- 
age way on her, and before night had coaxed the rascal 
within perhaps six rods, but he declined the hook. I 
noticed that in throwing any floating substance toward 
him that a small fish would dart out from his left side, 
examine the article and return to the shark, which would 
sometimes make a movement toward it, but in no case 
until the small fish had reconnoitered the ground. I 
worked at him till near dusk, but of no avail, and left 



42 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

him, concluding that he was not to be cheated. One en- 
tire sea bass had been guzzled by the creature, without 
value received on my part, and I left him. In conversa- 
tion with the skipper he said the shark often had a pilot 
fish with him, which he had seen. This was news to rae, 
but as the monster had been pretty well fed, I concluded 
I would get a crack at him in the morning. Sure enough, 
he was on the spot, and so was I, with tactics changed. 
I rigged small gear with my views narrow^ed down on 
small game, and pitched in for the pilot. The first throw 
was successful, and as I hauled the little fellow struggling 
through the water, the monster made a movement to- 
wards him, bat he was too clumsy. He evidently wanted 
to stay proceedings, but the pilot was on deck, a beauti- 
ful silver-sided bright-eyed, zebra-circular, browai-striped 
fish, w^eighing two pounds, an entirely different class of 
fish from the shark, his shape much like the perch, but 
w^ithout teeth, the intimate companion and pilot of a 
great 350-pound shark. What a contrast ? Daniel Lam- 
bert among the Liliputians ! A mountain and a mole 
hill ! But to the shark, — which for the first time began 
a new movement, describing a circle around the vessel, 
which he follow^ed up through the greater part' of the 
day. We kept the harpoon in the nettings ready for 
use. I was sent to repair a ratline on the fore-topgallant 
shrouds, and took a new coil of ratline stuff, and with 
the end in my hand made it fast to the back stay, and 
one eye on the shark. I noticed he was crossing the 
ship's stern and heading so as to rise at her counter. I 
slid down by the back stays, capsized the coil of rigging, 
made a running bowlin' with the other end, jumped into 
the main channels, and as I slipped the bowlin' over his 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 43 

head, gave it a jam with my right hand, just as the vessel 
rolled me on him. My left hand dropped over his nose 
and the two forefingers and thumb into the edge of his 
mouth. The monster, worse frightened than was your 
humble servant, started off abeam as though the evil 
one was on his back. Here was a pretty kettle of fish^ 
while I jumped on deck, caught the line with one hand, 
the other dreadfully lacerated, lost my hold and over- 
board went the whole coil. 

The skipper took in the surroundings and sang out, 
" Up, there, in the forerigging ! Cut away ! Hurry up, 
or we lose our top hamper!" But before the men were 
in the rigging the shark fetched up " all standing." The 
warp stood the shock and so did the shrouds and back 
stay, for the bowlin' had done its duty and the monster 
was choked to death. We finally got the bight of the 
warp on deck, hauled the game alongside, put the tackle 
on, hoisted him on deck, and in the last throe of death, 
his expiring effort, he knocked with his tail the cook's 
soak barrel all in flitters. We cut off his head, took out 
a part of his liver and consigned the carcase to his native 
element. After cleaning his jaws he displayed four rows 
of splendid teeth, and any man on board could slip it 
over his head resting on his shoulders. Now for the 
boy, or, as Sam would say, "dis child." He was dancings 
about deck in much pain, two fingers and thumb raked 
between those rows of teeth, without much flesh on, too 
proud to cry and too mad to talk, consoling himself in 
all his pain with the idea that he had cheated the shark 
and his pilot to death. The marks are now visible on 
left hand, and will be useful as I continue to " spin yarns " 
and tell the young folks " shark stories." And if at this 



44 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITEERANEAN. 

late day I exult over tliis wonderful feat, it is my privi- 
lege. Who but this boy would have passed by a good 
harpoon and take a running bowlin' to put over a shark's 
nose ? Please " show me the man." Piscatorially I can 
amuse my readers by enumerating some lively scenes, 
and if I have room at the close of this book, and they 
will promise to accept it in my language, without fiction 
or flourishes, they shall have it. I have had the expe- 
rience. Yes, I have. 

But the calm continued, notwithstanding everyone 
was w^histling for a breeze, but to no purpose. It was 
hot and calm and we could not dodge it. Several large 
green turtle were seen soundly asleep, but the shark 
frolic of the day before reminded the skipper that we 
had been sufficiently excited for the two days and he 
was not disposed to lower the small boat ; so he modestly 
said, " This calm will last till we get out of it by the drift ; 
we will attend to the turtle some other time, and besides, 
the sun at meridian is the best time to cheat them." 
Sam sat in the galley door, his day's duty closed, and 
liis " belly full," a pattern of peace and jollity, in that 
frame of mind that no doubt " a little child could play 
wid him in safety." The subject with the old darkey 
was something to eat, and how to obtain it. " You see 
dere, boys, dere's alluz dem turtlum in dis lattentude, 
and de hot sun at noon he comes to de top like a Congo 
nigger to sun, and da gets drunk wdd de heat and falls 
asleep ; den we's jus' scull de boat berry quiet and gin- 
gingly alongside, put yuze arms round de fool, heel down 
de boat and slide he in, jus' like de nigger on de Five 
Points, when police put he in de lockum up, and he wake 
up, jus' in time to know he's been fooled. But you jus' 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERKANEAN. 45 

take care clem flippers, da's be jus' like a steamboat 
And den dere's dem stakes, and de stews, and bake and 
supes, better dan turkuni and oshter sarce. Oh, dese 
Western Islands, some call iim 'Zores, better dan any 
udder place dis side of Capum Horn for fish and turtlum. 
Den you jus' hang he by de hind legs, cut he troat, bleed 
he good, cut out de meat, trow um shell overboard, coz 
dem haw^ks-bill turtlum be good for combs ; but dese 
green turtlum shell he's good for notting." And the old 
negro took down a large carver, run the edge over a hone 
and exclaimed, "I'se show you all about it to-morrow. 
Buddy, coz de skipper here nose all 'bout dese turtlum, 
jus' same as him did 'bout dem sea bass, tudder day," 
and Sam went below for his night's sleep. 

The nightwas quiet, not a brace or sheet had been 
started, the vessel with scarcely steerage way on her, and 
only occasionally a " cat's paw " from the westward, an 
indication that our calm would soon be over; decks 
washed down, all hands had breakfast, the jolly boat 
taken from her beckets, and now towing astern, all hands 
busy at the " spun yarn " mill and an uproarious smoke 
issuing from Sam's galley, giving note of his being alive, 
and each one with an eye out for turtle ; for it was well 
understood that we were to try our hand at them. The 
atmosphere was dreadful hot, every breath of wind had 
died out, and the craft lost steerage way entirely. The 
skipper and mate with quadrants w^ere in the waist, 
ready to catch the sun's meridian, and just as she was 
stationary, ready to tip, Mrs. Goodell, one of our lady 
missionaries, called the skipjDcr's attention to an object 
forty rods off; but his eye was on the sun, and if all the 
women in Christendom had asked him a question, it 



46 A VOYAGE ITP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

would have had no response. A few seconds passed, 
when the old man dropped his quadrant, turned to the 
mate and said, " She has tipped." The response was in 
the affirmative, and immediately turning to Mrs. G. he 
said, " That, Madam, is a green turtle." And in the next 
breath said to the mate, " Stow away your mill, Mr. 
Thomas. Boy, haul the boat alongside. Here, Jim Cook, 
take Joe, man the boat, muffle your oars, board the turtle 
with the scull oar when within ten rods, and away !" 
Now turtle, it is agreed, is not fish, and your humble 
servant was not particularly interested in this scene. 
Still, as the modus operandi was new, he cast an eye to 
the boat just as long-spliced Jim was going head first 
overboard. The turtle was in the boat, but the effort put 
forth was so great to slide the turtle in, that he lost his 
balance and exchanged places with the green back ; but, 
like a duck, he was out in an instant, and I remembered 
Sam's comparison of the flippers to a steamboat. Jim 
was a great water bird and a mighty pugilist, as you 
will find, by a scene that occurred at Gibraltar, and in 
which the boy as usual figured. However, they resumed 
their oars, came alongside, put the watch tackle on the 
turtle and landed him on deck, face up. The observed 
of all observers weighed 125 pounds, when Norwegian 
Joe, turning to the mate said in his broken English, "He 
got two two a hind leg, two two a fore leg, and a tail 
a-most, and a head somewhat like a jdncer; now what 
kind a dom fish you call him, Mr. Mate ?" A hearty 
laugh and the turtle was passed over to Sam for dissec- 
tion, while the boat was off for more with good success. 
We scuttled two water casks, put a medium sized turtle 
in each with a view to keep, put a half dozen on their 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRAT^EAN. 47 

backs for future use, let another half-dozen go, filled up 
the casks with salt water; had turtle in all forms for 
ten days. 

The calm still prevailed another day, amid a wonderful 
show of turtle, whale, porpoise, dolphin and shark, but 
the good skipper, true to his governing principle, refused 
to lower a boat or make an effort to obtain any more 
plunder. "We have enough," was his reply, and that 
was law and gospel. He was an example worthy of imi- 
tation by every gentleman piscatorially or turtleisingly 
inclined, but he would not object to all hands whistling 
up a breeze. Before sundown we discovered quite a little 
roll of the sea heaving in from the west and at midnight 
took a good spanking breeze and shaped our course for 
Cape St. Yincent, bidding adieu to horse latitudes, tur- 
tles, sharks and calms, — a glorious relief, a happy ex- 
change. Our passengers seemed to enjoy the trip, having 
every comfort and attention possible ; never in the way, 
and full liberty in all parts of the craft, and were par- 
ticularly happy with an hour spent with Sam, who, to 
cheer them up, always had a cup of coffee or tea, and at 
a moment's notice. They were favorites with all the 
crew, and made Sam sing "Away down in Dixey" once 
a day regular. 

We made the cape, having had a beautiful run, and with 
a strong current always setting up the straits of Gibraltar, 
the wind then east. We worked up to the bay in good 
style came to an anchor in ten fathoms of water, making 
the run from New^ York in twenty-five days, eight of 
w^hich were passed off the Azores. Our object here was 
for mails only. Gibraltar is in lat. 36° 5' N". and long. 
5° 22' W. from Greenwich The city lays fronting the 



48 A VOYAGE ITP THE MEDITEERANEAX. 

Bay of Algeziras and is a beautiful sight, with a gradual 
elevation from the bay to near its summit, is heavily 
fortified on the top, and it affords a prospect of the sea 
on each side of the rock. The rock is joined to the con- 
tinent by a low piece of land about half a mile wide, used 
as a parade ground, and is the only passage to the city 
by land. The rock is on its north end, joined to this 
peninsula, and is so near perpendicular that from its 
port holes excavated in the bluff a person can reach his 
head out and the soldiers on the parade look like the 
representatives of Liliputians. The writer with his com- 
rades each took turns in prostrating themselves while 
the others held us by the heels. We dare not stand up 
square in the port hole and look down, for even in the 
mode we adopted it was too frightful to prolong the 
sight. There are four tiers of port holes, opening into 
large rooms used for various purposes, and roads leading 
to them from the city, all excavated in solid rock. The 
soil is thin and none to be seen except on the west face, 
where the city lays. History states that the soil was 
carried there by the Moors. The " King's Armada," or 
now the Governor's residence, is about the only place 
for vegetation. This had a beautiful garden of shrubbery 
and small fruits, with hedges of geranium in great variety. 
The grounds were full of war matei-ial of various kinds. 
The magazine w^as also here, and a vast number of heavy 
guns, and with this w^onderful sight the whole air was 
impregnated with shrubs and flowers. 

To stand or sit in this beautiful place, commanding a 
view of the bay, Algeziras, the strait, Alps Hill on the 
Barbary side, the city below with the surroundings of 
horticulture, and the fortifications above you at the sum- 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 49 

mit, the mind becomes bewildered and the head dizzy. 
I can only say that, to be appreciated it must be seen. 
The fortifications on the summit are quite extensive and 
of immense power, and command the strait, w^hich is 
eight miles across. Gibraltar had for years laid the com- 
mercial world under tribute, and all vessels bound up 
the straits w^ere then compelled to carry a Mediterranean 
pass, and the voyage previous the same vessel and skip 
per were fired into, demanding a show of colors, because 
some fool of a lieutenant in command of the fortress 
w^anted to show a little brief authority. It is a short 
story. We w^ere bound into Malaga and beating up the 
straits ; the wdnd died out, leaving us above the harbor 
of Gibraltar, and a little north of the usual track bound 
up, and off the south end of the rock the wind failed us 
and we barely had steerage way on the vessel, but from 
our position he knew that we were bound to Malaga, 
which lays on the main just above the rock. It w^as 
about noon, when bang went a gun, and a shot came 
astern of us, at wdiich insult Capt. Storer was consid- 
erably disturbed, but he ordered the boy to get the 
colors up and waited in hopes the insult w^ould not be 
repeated. But he was mistaken, for in two minutes 
bang came another shot just ahead. Our skipper knew 
the rule, and lest the third shot should be for us, your 
humble servant w^as ordered to run up the stripes and 
he did so. But it was a stark calm and they hugged 
the mast on a perpendicular. This satisfied the villain 
in charge of the fortress, and no more shots w^ere sent. 
We went into Malaga, obtained our cargo, and stopped 
at Gibraltar for mail, when the authorities claimed five 
dollars for each shot ; but the plucky little captain re- 
4 



60 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

fused to pay it, telling them to do better if they could. 
Our readers will remember that long-spliced Jim Cook 
is one of our mess. Well, Jim Avas a good sailor, though 
a great pugilist. I was with him in a previous voyage, 
and we lay in Gibraltar Bay waiting orders. " Shore 
liberty " was granted four of us, with a permit from the 
Governor giving us a wide range for our Sunday stroll. 
We landed at the " mole " or dock, the only landing by 
water, a wharf perhaps ten rods wide by fifteen long (a 
squad of soldiers is its guard), leading through double 
gates to the city, which is heavily walled. This com- 
manded the only entrance to the city. We landed with- 
out hindrance, made a pretty thorough examination of 
the market place, the Armada, its fortifications, and, 
being fully warned of the sun-down gun, came down 
through the gates just as the gun gave the signal to close 
them, but our boat was not there. The oflScer in charge 
very kindly informed us that in ten minutes the mole 
must be cleared, and if our boat was not on the spot we 
must take a bumboat, which would cost two dollars. 
Sailor-like, we had spent the last rial (shilling) on our 
way down, and the boatman wanted pay in advance. 
The time was up, we heard the tramp of Johnny Bull's 
adopted sons, while the sergeant waved his cheese-knife 
for us to retire. We had but little choice, it was either 
a wet jacket or a fight, and not a moment to decide be- 
fore it was " Charge !" " Halt !" giving us still an oppor- 
tunity to retire. Now Jim was in good fighting trim, 
and swore he would not move. The next order was 
"Forward !" and Jim snatched the musket of the left 
file quick as lightning, and he would have been a dead 
man if the officer had been disposed, but he cried " Halt !" 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 51 

and stepped up to Jim, laid his hand on his shoulder and 
said, with a good-natured smile, " You are made of too 
good stuff to be shot. Give the man his musket and get 
into your boat. I like your spunk, and this has saved 
your life ; but remember, if you ever step on this mole 
and disobey, it will go hard with you." All these scenes 
passed like the whirl of a breath to us, and we breathed 
free as we marched to our boat, which had that moment 
arrived, and the author resolved that rum was not a fit 
companion for him when on shore in a foreign country, 
and ever after I chose my associates for shore liberty. 

And now for a straight wake. The market place at 
Gibraltar produces a good display of vegetables, fruit, 
poultry and fish. It is mostly kept by Jews, Turks and 
Moors, and is brought over in veluchers or boats from 
the Barbary side of the straits. The dress of the market 
men and women is mostly Turkish, quite costly and ex- 
travagant. They can all get off a spattering of English. 
Your humble servant had no difficulty at fourteen years 
old to market from them without a pilot, provided the 
*' rial " (eight shilling to the dollar) was the basis of the 
whole finance. Without solicitation my basket was 
always brought down to the gates by a slave, and if any 
space was left after filling my list, the little senorita 
would fill it with grapes and oranges. Whether it was 
my face or my jaunty chip hat with a long silk ribbon 
and white duck trowsers without suspenders, that capti- 
vated her and her old Jew father, I never knew, but I 
know that " petit Americano " always met with a grand 
reception in that market. 

Payne says, " The Fortress of Gibraltar was taken 
1704 in two days by a combined fleet of English 



52 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

and Dutch ships under command of Sir George Rooke. 
In the same year, the Spaniards attempted its recap- 
ture, at which time it stood out a memorable siege, 
when 500 of the enemy having scaled the walls on 
the bay, crept up the rocks during the early morning, 
were charged upon and driven headlong into the sea, 
after which it was ceded to the English by treaty in 1 713. 
Spain again made an attempt in 1727 with a powerful 
army, but raised the siege after laying before it several 
months. But the blockade and siege it sustained from 
the same party for nearly four years, from 1779 to 1783, 
will ever be considered as one of the most remarkable 
events in history. The combined army of France and 
Spain, under the Duke de Crillon with 30,000 men at- 
tempted to reduce the place by famine and were thrice 
baffled by relief from England. The last of these suc- 
cors were thrown in under the command of Lord Howe. 
By a sally made by him all the outer batteries of the 
Spaniard were entirely destroyed but with little loss to 
him. The Spanish monarch adopted a plan to construct 
ten large floating batteries composed of large timbers of 
cedar and mahogany, on such a principle as was supposed 
could not be penetrated by balls. Every arrangement 
in the power of Spain was made for the capability of 
pouring destruction on the place in a tremendous man- 
ner. On the 13th of September, 1782, the attack was 
made. The brave and able Governor brought forth every 
exertion to repel it, and for this purpose prepared an 
immense number of red hot balls, which were made 
efl'ectual. The whole Armada took fire, became unman- 
ageable, and almost all the devoted wretches who had 
embarked in them were totally destroyed by fire and 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 53 

water.* At this siege the Spanish batteries discharged 
showers of shot and shell, having 400 pieces of the heav- 
iest artillery playing in connection with the water bat- 
teries, the whole a grand exhibition of warfare without 
its parallel in the world. The garrison discharged 80,000 
red hot shot during the attack, and when the enemy was 
totally defeated the generous humanity of the victors 
was conspicuous in saving the lives of the vanquished 
enemies even at the hazard of their own." At Algeziras, 
on the bay, was a stone castle built by O'Hara, who took 
an oath that he would occupy it until Gibraltar surrend- 
ered. It was in good repair in 1821, and was called 
"O'Hara's folly." Gibraltar Bay is in the form of a horse 
«hoe, and is not A^ery good holding ground for a severe 
souther. 

During a Levanter (gale from east), I have seen three 
tiers of clouds ranging on the west side over the city, 
plainly showing' the fortifications on the summit, with its 
flag on the staff above the upper stratum of clouds, a 
singular object and seemed to be perched up in the heav- 
ens without anything to support it. It is one and a 
fourth miles above the sea. As before stated, the east 
side of the rock is nearly a perpendicular, and cannot be 
climbed or rather never has — and in looking at it, 
approaching from the Atlantic, it somewhat resembles a 
sperm whale — and viewing it from opposite the strait, 
the whale is split, the east side thrown away. The tail 

* This Armada was visible at the bottom of the bay to the author in 
1819. It lies in about five fathoms of water, near the mole. The 
whole bay is white sand, and in ten fathoms of water we sighted 
our anchors every day to see if they were foul. 



54 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

is the most southern pomt in Europe. Our mail obtained, 
a little marketing done at the old Jew stall, and a very- 
pretty " adieu, Senore Americano," from the little Jew- 
ess, and, loaded down with fruit, we got under way for 
Malta. Had a splendid run to Mount Stromboli, an 
uninhabited burning mountain making up from the sea, 
in the form of a sugar loaf. Its south end is a bold 
shore, while a reef extends a long distance on its north 
end. We passed it southerly, the main current setting 
east ; the wind left us when about three miles off, and 
unfortunately in the eddy which set directly on it. I 
compare the island with Faulkner's Island, in Long Isl- 
and Sound, excepting that Stromboli is mountainous, its 
crater on the top. The weather was fine. The dog 
watch was set, not a breath of wind. The skipper cast 
his eye at the barometer, and ordered, " Lower down 
both top-gallant-sails, man your clue lines, let go your 
sheets, and send down both yards. Come, hurry there, 
men — hurry up, Mr. Thomas," and the men were stretch- 
ing their necks to learn the cause, but the skipper did 
not see fit to enlighten any body but the mate. It was 
just seventeen minutes, and the yards were on deck. 
The skipper immediately ordered, " close-reefed top-sails, 
jib furled, and spanker double-buttoned — the fore and 
main courses furled snug," and in twenty minutes more 
the little brig was snug as a bug. The eddy tide had 
set toward the north point and swept us not more than a 
mile off the island. Everything about decks was well 
secured, her head had been placed to southward ; port 
tacks aboard, when in an instant the Levanter was on 
us, the lee-rail under. The skipper had the last sight of 
the island, and it was now as dark as pitch, but in that 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 55 

last bearings he figured that by " keel-hauling'' occa- 
sionally she would just " rub and go," — not a thing but 
the foam about the vessel to be seen. Mr. Thomas was 
on the windlass-bits. I carried the message, " Can you 
see the surf? If so, tell me how it bears?" "Nothing 
yet, sir," and the skipper gave her a squeeze of two 
points. She shot up into the wind and oif again, and 
thus he played her, but it seemed as if her masts would 
jump out of her. The anxiety about decks was immense, 
for if she struck it was certain death. " Land, O," was 
the next message to- the skipper. It blew so that he 
could only hear with one ear to leeward. " Do you see 
the land, or the clear water beyond ? If so, how does it 
bear ?" was the message, and again I went back with : 
"Two points under the lee bow, surf!" and again: 
"Three points," when the skipper gave her another 
squeeze, and off again instantly, but she quivered, and 
the next : " Surf, four points," and again : " Open sea, 
abeam," and again : " Open sea, abaft the beam," and 
Captain Peter stuck his head under the spanker-boom, 
saw he was going clear, sent for the mate, and said : 
" Thank God, she is safe, come aft ; we will put her 
head to northward, and lay her under the storm stay- 
sail." Here was a relief, though it was " rub and go," 
and done by close calculation, and previous preparation. 
If the barometer had not been consulted, or the skipper 
had not heeded her indications, nothing could have 
saved us, for there was no room to wear ship, and she 
never could have stayed under short sail, and further, if 
he had made no preparation before the Levanter was on, 
she would have been on a lee shore before sail could 
have been shortened. " Coming events, with him, cast 



56 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITEKEANEAN. 

shadows before," and he was always on the lookout for 
them. Who bnt my old schoolmaster, would think of 
placing a ship in trim for a gale, when a calm and clear 
sky prevailed? But what were the indications? I 
answer, a roll of the sea from the east; falling of the 
barometer, and in the season of Levanters. 

Now it gives the author much real satisfaction to 
place the honors on the good, kind-hearted old salt, and 
I propose to hurry forward this little narrative, in order 
that before his voyage of life is closed, he shall have the 
knowledge of my sincere and earnest thanks, publicly 
expressed, for his kindness to me in the days that are 
past. It is my earnest wish that he may have a pleasant 
closing up of life, a triumphant death, and a harbor in 
Christ's kingdom, where he wMll need no chart, compass, 
or barometer, and where the sea of glory will not be dis- 
turbed with Strombolis or Levanters. But to resume. 

The gale held us about eighteen hours. Wind hauled 
to northward ; laid our course again for Malta; passed 
Stromboli w^ith a good berth, and sighted the island in 
three days ; it lays in lat. 35° 54' N., long. 14° 28' E. from 
Greenwich. We were signaled when about eight miles 
off, and soon surrounded wdth boats, all clamorous for 
the job of towing. Finally, as it was calm, a bargain 
was made for two strings, twenty-four boats, and away 
we went four knots an hour, and anchored in a beautiful 
harbor, completely land-locked, and in ten fathoms of 
water. This harbor was for fishermen and quarantine. 
Li the center of the harbor is a small island with fortifi- 
cations and the lazaretto. The island lies about sixty 
miles south of Sicily — is twenty miles long and twelve 
wide, containing five beautiful harbors, with all neces- 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 57 

sary fortifications, and all safe anchorages. The main 
commercial city is called Valetta. At the foot of this 
harbor is the English Navy Yard. In 178r> the whole 
population of the island was 150,000. The entrance to 
Valetta harbor is about half a mile in width, and con- 
tinues that width for considerable distance, then open- 
ing into a beautiful bay, extending two miles from the 
sea, and is immensely fortified on each point of entrance. 
In 1821, as the writer entered this harbor, there was on 
the left side four gibbets or gallows, on each of which 
was hanging in a swivel chain a human body, two con- 
taining skeletons, one with considerable flesh on it, one 
still alive, and hundreds of turkey buzzards feeding on 
the carcases. The scene was awful beyond description. 
On inquiry ashore, we found that all persons found 
guilty of piracy were condemned to this horrid mode of 
death. The one alive was encased the day before, hav- 
ing been condemned as a Moorish pirate. The rock of 
this whole island is a cream color, quite soft, and easily 
excavated. Large reservoirs are made for the deposit of 
wheat and provisions, and in early days sufficient for five 
years' supply was kept there. The language is Arabic 
and Italian, with but little English. Valetta is the great 
thoroughfare for the eastern world, and the key for 
Asia and Africa. Craft of almost every nation and rig 
are here to be found. The people are well educated in 
European customs, and tliough extravagant in dress, are 
courteous in the extreme to strangers. The city is sup- 
plied with water, led from near the ancient city of " Mil- 
ite," through masonry supported by 1,000 arches, and 
is distributed through the Marina with occasional foun- 
tains free to all. This Marina or dock fronting the city. 



58 A VOYAGE TIP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

is the great promenade on Sunday, which is their best 
day of recreation. The weather is extremely hot in the 
city, but the Marina with its occasional shade and 
breeze, makes it a charming place. Fruit and wine are 
good, plenty and cheap. The city abounds in churches, 
the largest of which is St. Paul's, which in company with 
the Mate I gave a thorough examination in 1820. It is 
massive in size, quite ancient in architecture, built with 
native stone, and beautifully polished outside and in, a 
vestibule opening into the body of the church, unob- 
structed by seats or partition, except an altar inclosed 
in heavy railings of solid silver, confession boxes on cas- 
tors, six on each side. The whole floor mosaic of vari- 
ous colors in marble, representing the cross, various 
saints, battle scenes, our Saviour, and many others ; the 
work so finely done that no unevenness or roughness 
could be felt, and was a dazzling sight as we viewed it 
from the entrance. When Napoleon in his raid for plun- 
der in Italy, sacked this island, the costly railing round 
the altar of this church escaped the notice of the plun- 
derers, by reason of its heavy coat of lead paint, which 
had never been extracted, except in occasional places, by 
" wear and tear," — though the rascally thieves took all 
the ornaments of gold and silver hanging on the walls 
they could find, said by our worthy sexton, " to amount 
to over 100,000 pasos" (dollars). However, the walls 
must have recuperated in the same line of goods, for 
they were full, — offerings made to the saints, in silver 
and gold, for favors granted or petitioned for. The 
egress and ingress of people was immense. The confes- 
sion boxes drove a thriving trade — the whole, without 
confusion or noise, every person stepping lightly and 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 59 

in soft slippers, two pairs being furnished myself and 
comrade by the sexton, who could prate a little poor 
English. I may as well here say that our sexton having 
on our arrival received a bright Mexican dollar, was 
quite disposed to show all that was to be seen within his 
jurisdiction, and after being satisfied with the sights on 
the first floor, lighted each a wax candle, and led the 
Avay to the basement, — assuring us that this was the 
embalmed body of " St. Paul," this was " St. Peter," 
that was the " Virgin Mary," and by the number of 
bodies before us, he would have gone through the whole 
catalogue of saints, popes, and cardinals, had not 1 said 
to my companion " this spatters too much of the marvel- 
lous for me. It savors of catacombs ; let us get fresh 
air." So we abruptly put a stop to the proceedings, and 
turned towards the stairs, crying, " Muche marlo, Sig- 
nor." " No caress." " Nente boano, Signor." And we 
passed up and out, exchanging slippers while the sexton 
pointed us to the font of holy water in the vestibule, and 
to please him we both took a tip. 

But let us say a w^ord about the north harbor. Our 
captain reported to our consignee, through the Custom 
House at the lazaret, a small building with iron railing 
leading to low water mark, within the enclosure where 
all boats during the quarantine of their vessels must 
communicate on a platform with folding doors opening 
into a large room, and a soldier on guard to prevent 
further intrusion. A pole of fifteen feet is run out with 
a slit in the end to receive your communications without 
the touch ; it is then cut through and through by stamp, 
held over a smoke, and in that state presented to the 
officers of Customs. No communication can be received 



60 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDTTEKRANEAN. 

any other way, and thus our skipper communicated with 
his consignee at Yaletti, and entered his vessel. They 
met next day by appointment, talked between the bars, 
passed papers and letters through the smoke, obtained 
protigue to land our passengers in two days after being 
examined in person at the old smoke house, and liberty 
to take the vessel to town in five days; provided the 
examination of passengers was satisfactory, and also that 
he should produce officers, crew and passengers every 
morning at 8 o'clock at the " Lazarett." We took all 
hands to the great smoke house, were scrutinized closely, 
made to jump twice, and without the chop block, or the 
aid of smoke, all was satisfactory, and during all this 
humbuggery, we were kept twenty feet from the officers. 
The whole operation, childish and uncivil, a disgrace to 
the Island of Malta and the English flag. Next morn- 
ing we took all hands ashore, formed a line on a plat- 
form, skipper at the head and Sam at the rear— an exhi- 
bition of the two extremes of beauty. Messrs. Goodell 
and Bird, with their wives, were beautiful and noble, 
while Sam, though gloriously good, was the most awk- 
ward, ill-looking piece of humanity on the continent, all 
except his eyes. When it came Sam's turn to jump, he 
substituted the song and dance of " Away down in 
Dixey," to the great amusement of officers and soldiers. 
The door of the great " Sanhedrim" closed amid three 
rousing cheers with a tiger, and gave its echo through 
the bay and city, to the wonder and astonishment of the 
people. At the time appointed, our passengers were 
received at the Lazarett by their friends, intending to 
remain at Yaletti previous to their departure for Jerusa- 
lem, by way of Joppa. Thus were they safely landed 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITEKRANEAN. 61 

after a confinement in small dimensions during forty- 
seven days, beloved by every soul on board the vessel, 
fit messengers to spread glad tidings of great joy 
through the plains and mountains of Palestine. 

Agreeable to decree we obtained protique and shifted 
anchorage to Yaletti. The following Sunday, with the 
mate, having obtained a permit from the Governor with 
full range of the island, we took a carriage, much after 
the Cuban style, to see the ancient city of Melite, where 
Paul was shipwrecked, and to examine St. Paul's cave, 
both about ten miles distant by land. The road led 
through a country of the " vine and fig tree," fruit of 
their season plenty and cheap, grapes and bread the 
staple. Advice from friends induced us to convert two 
Spanish dollars into the small fractional of their currency 
for the miserable Ladrone by whom we should be in- 
fested, and it proved a judicious movement. We reached 
the entrance to the cave, fortunately found the soldier 
and guide at their post, to whom we tendered the exam- 
ination of our permit, and before it was read by the 
soldier we were beset by about 500 men, women and 
children, the most miserable, filthy beggars, half-starved, 
clamorous, more like wolves than human, the offscouring 
of the old dilapidated city. We were prepared to see 
beggars, owls and satyrs, but not such a crew. We had 
the antidote, however, and threw broadcast a handful 
of change. The iron gate was open and we crowded in, 
but each of us minus a handkerchief and glad to get off 
at that. We entered the cave with the guide, the sol- 
dier outside of but little use to us; his sympathies 
were with the Ladrone, not us. We entered the cave 



Q2 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDlTEBRAlSrEAN. 

with candles, the guide and my right-hand supporter in 
my pocket, and during this subterranean passage I chose 
to be in the rear. The atmosphere was not depressing, 
nor the passages small. We opened into large, square 
rooms connected with passages and similar rooms, all 
cut through the rock, but of various sizes. We followed 
the first one perhaps half a mile, observing that new pas- 
sages led off in other directions. They were all uniform 
in size, eight feet high and five feet wide, rooms about 
eighteen feet square, of equal height as the passages, 
which were circuitous. The ceilings, walls and floors 
smooth, apparently done by square and level. We en- 
tered the cave facing about south. The rooms and pas- 
sages above described were on our left hand. At the 
right on entering were two similar rooms connecting 
with two smaller, evidently for cooking purposes, though 
I saw no outlet for smoke. One of these rooms had 
niches cut, some upright and others horizontal, appar- 
ently for the dead, or as a substitute for bedsteads. 
They were of different sizes, from the adult to the infant. 
The whole interior of these various excavations we judged 
covered a space of ten acres. Our guide insisted that the 
first passage named extended to near the new city, and 
another continued westerly to near the sea, and that if 
we would give ourselves time, take a foot guide, in a day 
we could see the road as it left the cave and afterwards 
trace it to its termination at the sea. To corroborate 
this, Payne quotes Brydone thus: "That on this side of 
the island are still vestiges of several ancient roads, 
with tracks worn deep in the rocks. These roads are 
now terminated by the precipice with the sea beneath, 
and shows that the island has in former ages been of 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 63 

larger size than at present, but the convulsion that oc- 
casioned its diminution is probably much beyond the 
reach of any history or tradition." 

The cave is certainly a wonderful production, and to 
give a full and thorough description of it needs more 
time than two sailor boys can give. Our guide was an 
Englishman, well educated, and was fully conversant 
with the winding passages of this cave. It is an immense 
excavation, and the writer hazards the opinion that a 
stranger without a compass placed twenty rods within 
it, minus a guide, would starve before he could find his 
way out. We spent two hours in constant movement 
and knew but little about the cave. This, said our guide, 
was done by St. Paul and his followers after he was cast 
away, and pointing, as we came to the light of day to a 
little inlet not rifle shot ofi", said, "there is where he 
landed under pressure of a "Levanter." No rubbish or 
moisture w^as seen or felt in the cave, and the atmosphere 
as easy to breathe as if outside. 

Now the author is inclined to believe that poor Paul 
never had anything to do with that kind of business. 
In my opinion his time was fully occupied in preaching 
the Gospel. He had too much courage to dig an asylum 
underground, and Jonah-like, flee from duty to save his 
life. It was not in him to crawl into a cave, and beside, 
all the disciples with all their friends could not build 
that cave in two centuries. Listen to history : " The 
Phocians were the original occupants of Malta and were 
driven out by the Phoenicians ; these by the Greeks ; 
and passed from them to the Carthagenians ; from them 
to the Romans ; who were subdued by the Goths ; then 
by the Saracens; from whom in 1090 the Normans; 



64 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

after which it had the same masters as Sicily, till Charles 
V. gave it to the Knights of Malta and Jerusalem." 
In those days to the victor came the spoils. A part of 
the spoils were whole towns and cities made prisoners 
from Asia and Africa and used as slaves. The millions 
of poor that could not pay a ransom were like cattle, 
sent to different parts to labor, and half starved to die. 
No doubt these plunderers sent some of those slaves to 
Malta to labor and to death. Paul's was a mission of 
peace, not of war. He did not fight for gold, territory, 
or prisoners. What, think you, became of millions upon 
millions of slaves or prisoners taken by Alexander, 
Darius, Cyrus, Hannibal, the Carthagenians, Rome, and 
even Napoleon, during their raids for gold and plunder 
in this same country of which we write, and if you get 
no satisfactory reply, come back to a more recent date 
and consult the Knights of Malta and Jerusalem, and 
you will say with me that Paul dug no caves, but these 
powerful and aristocratic knights did. These men evi- 
dently wielded an immense power, and any Sir Knight 
holding a gavel could, by the stroke of a pen at five 
days' notice send 50,000 prisoners to Malta to dig this 
cave, to which the order itself could flee when they in 
their turn should be overwhelmed. Let the reader un- 
derstand that the Knights of Malta and Jerusalem were 
not akin to the Templars of our day, but as opposite as 
day is to night ; the former seeking power and plunder, 
aristocratic, not valuing human life as a feather ; the 
latter, Samaritans, good, kind, protectors of human life, 
governed by the principles of faith, hope and charity. 

We left the cave in full belief that Paul never dark- 
ened its portals, and as in the case of the bodies of the 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 65 

saints mouldering in the deep, dark basement of Saint 
Paul's Church, before described. We took no stock in 
what our guide said. Legend and tradition, much like 
old fogy's gossip, " grows with age and opportunity," 
and yet this does not affect the magnitude of this whole 
enterprise. We gave the guide his dollar, and following 
his directions were soon on the spot where the " anointed 
of God " was shipwrecked. It lies in front of the old 
city, on a bold, rocky shore on a small inlet, and an iron 
shaft on a large boulder rock, the surroundings answering 
the Bible history, and we had no doubt it was the iden- 
tical spot where the "two seas met." 

Our next move was for a stroll among the ruins of 
Melite, a wonderful sight, and at the first view of this 
ruined city, once containing 150,000 inhabitants, I ex- 
claimed. Good God ! from whence proceed such melan- 
choly revolutions? Why are so many cities destroyed ? 
Why is not that ancient population reproduced and per- 
petuated ? The temples are thrown down, the palaces 
demolished, the ports filled up. The town is destroyed 
and stripped of ail good inhabitants, and the beggar and 
the outcast only are left. It seems a dreary burying place. 
This ancient city is a mass of ruins, peopled by beggars 
and fishermen, " who dry their nets on the rocks." The 
ruins found here prove that it was once the abode of 
luxury and opulence, but "baldness has come upon it." 
" It is forsaken and bereaved of its king. The owl and 
tke raven (Turkey buzzard) dwell therein. The mirth 
and the harp ceaseth, the joy of the tabret also cease. 
They that dwell therein are desolate. The stranger that 
shall come from a far land shall say, ' I will give the city 
into the hand of strangers for a prey, for the robbers 
5 



66 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

shall enter into it and defile it.' " And with these proph- 
ecies in my mind, associated with the cave in question, I 
said. Can it be that this is the judgment on this people 
for murdering by inches, in starvation and disease, mil- 
lions upon millions of poor innocent prisoners taken from 
the interior of Asia and Africa, and doomed to labor at 
Melite for the gratification of a few men, before enum- 
erated, who roamed over this beautiful country for con- 
quest and gold? Is this the fulfillment of prophecies 
applicable to this place ? This is not Babylon, and yet 
it is a part of " the country of the Jews." It is Pales- 
tine, " one of the isles of the sea." I turned my back 
on the scene and again mingled in civilization, for we 
had witnessed naught but desolation and misery. We 
gave another broadcast throw of small coin among the 
crowd of beggars that had covered our rear since we 
emerged from the cave, jumped into our calash, unlocked 
a private apartment in the carriage, drew forth our bottle 
of splendid Catania wine, eight pomids of grapes, a loaf 
of bread, and "talked by the way" home. On the fol- 
lowing Sunday, at the quarters of the American consul, 
we attended religious services with our missionaries, 
shook hands with all, wished them a safe trip to Joppa, 
and parted. We heard from them at Jerusalem on the 
twelfth day after. We discharged part of our cargo, 
and during our stay were overwhelmed with beautiful 
fruit in great variety at small cost, offered us by bum- 
boats. 

My last trip on shore, if not profitable was certainly 
eventful, and your humble servant the hero. A lighter 
load of dye woods had been landed on the Marina, the 
boy left in charge till the carman came. I mounted the 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 67 

pile, pockets full of grapes, and a hickory stick in my 
hand. I soon found that dock wallopers abounded here 
as well as in New York, and equally as bold ; for, with- 
out much ceremony, three loafers pitched in for plunder, 
and without any less ceremony I brought them to with 
the hickory, one with a broken finger, and drove them 
off. They soon brought reinforcements, and about a 
dozen of the whelps surrounded the pile. This drew 
quite a concoud'se of people, and they claimed I should 
have a fair shake. My position was again on top of the 
pile, when the largest loafer took up a stick as bold as a 
lion ; but, before he got outside the circle, he w^as floored 
with the full force of the stick across his shoulders, and 
as I turned to assume my former position two others 
pitched in to avenge their comrade and I got a peeler 
across the nose and lost half my shirt. The crowd had 
by this time been augmented to about 500 people. One 
of ray antagonists was outside with a broken arm, but I 
mounted, and as I did so I noticed a soldier on the trot 
coming one way, and old Sam with an oar in his hand 
from the other, the latter yelling, "I'se cummin' Massa 
Charley !" and before he got through the crowd a chap 
opened his dirty shirt bosom and threw a louse at me. 
Now it did not make any difference with me whether it 
was a reality or a sham. I made for him and fetched 
him also. We were in the tussle when Sam's voice w^as 
over me, " Hold on, Massa Charley ! hold on, I'se here !" 
And he cut a swath on one end of the mob, while the 
soldier cleared the way on the other, and amid the cheers 
of the people we both started for the boat, assisted by 
the soldier, who, having had the rights of the thing ex- 
plained , escorted us both to the boat and took the three 



68 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

wounded loafers to the guard house. The carman had 
arrived, took possession of the wood and we came aboard. 
You may depend, I was covered with blood and quite a 
dirty looking subject. The morning's Gazette reported 
the " Yankee boy " as having whipped out three loafers 
who attempted to steal from him. One a finger broken, 
one an arm ditto, and the other considerably bruised, all 
committed to the guard house. I could not afford 
another fight lest my blows would not be as lucky in my 
defense and kept the ship, though crowds of the dirty 
creatures were on the Marina every day, waiting a chance. 
My only fear in the melee was the stiletto. 

Having all in readiness, we got under way for Messina, 
in Sicily, about sixty miles distant. The second day we 
made the island, having had moderate winds, and by nine 
o'clock p. M. becalmed in the strait and abreast of Mount 
^tna, and two miles from shore. The crater was in 
action, throwing out upon the water and surroundings 
a frightful red glare. The famous whirlpools of Chary bdis 
were outside of us, not more than two miles, and a stark 
calm. The position was anything but pleasant, no 
anchorage, and a strong current setting through the 
strait, and it made a long, gloomy night, not a star or 
speck of land to be seen. The elevation of the light, 
alternated by smoke and fire, thrown on us from sudden 
flashes, was a scene beyond my ability to describe. Im- 
mense quantities of lava flowed down the mountain, and 
the surface of the water in the morning was covered with 
pummice. It is generally admitted that a sympathy exists 
between ^tna and Stromboli, never burning together. 
The latter was inactive as we passed it going up, and the 
former had ceased to burn on our passage down, but we 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 69 

found Stromboli in full blast. I propose to give a pretty- 
thorough description of ^tna by reason of a personal 
inspection I gave it while lying at Messina. 

While we lay at Messina, ^tna gave evidence of her 
internal troubles by three shocks of sufficient magnitude 
to frighten the inhabitants to seek protection on the 
Marina. It was estimated that 20,000 people rushed 
there and gathered in clusters around a priest, each 
clinging to another, touching, if possible, the hem of his 
garment, and I noticed that the same virtue was expected 
from a young priest of twelve as of an aged friar. The 
dress is alike in black, and all wear a chapeau in the same 
manner that the captain of the New Haven Artillery 
wore as a part of his regimentals in 1812, vide Egbert 

P . ^tna did not repeat her throb, and the people 

at sundown went home. We entered the harbor of Mes- 
sina in the morning, doomed to five days quarantine, 
where every morning all hands were formed in line, 
fronting the health officers, and (as at Malta) obliged to 
jump up and down twice at least, and in regular order 
of grade, but privileged to dance as a substitute. Before 
we obtained protique there was so much anxiety to see 
our old cook dance that it was understood the services 
should commence with our crew first. This would enable 
all concerned to be present on that momentous occasion, 
in which Sam's dance and song of "Away down in 
Dixey " was the governing feature, for he could sing as 
well as dance it. In due time we hauled over to the 
city across the bay, and of course had liberty of the city. 
The Marina is about two miles long, of rectangular form, 
fronting the city, divided by a strong wall, is wide, 
beautiful and commodious, and one of the finest walks 



70 A YOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

in the city. A portion of it is shaded with trees, a front 
view of the shipping, the forts, and the bay. Nearly all 
nations are represented here, and on Sunday the ships are 
dressed out in bunting. Like Malta, Sunday is the holi- 
day and is devoted to amusement. It is no uncommon 
thing to see 15,000 people on the promenade. Water 
fountains are in prolusion ; fruit and lemonade pedlers 
also. Various fountains, representing Hercules, Neptune, 
and various knights, and animals, each with several jet& 
of w^ater leading into reservoirs, free to all. The police 
department is quite eifective. The Marina is swept clean 
by the chain-gang every morning by sunrise. The writer, 
in all his stay in Sicily, never saw a native the worse 
for liquor. That habit was only embraced by foreigners, 
with a wonderful ascendancy in favor of the English and 
Yankees. 

The island produced fine beef and mutton, with a 
world of nuts, oranges and figs. The climate is so hot 
that even in our winter the shade is refreshing. Chilly 
winds in the day are only felt in March. The only 
appearance of winter is found near the summit of ^tna, 
where snow is sometimes seen. And now for Mount 
^tna. Figures I have borrowed from Brydone, who 
like myself visited this wonderful curiosity. In making 
the island of Sicily it looks like an immense chimney. 
The ascent to the crater by way of Catanea is said ta 
be 30,000 paces, but by Rondazzo is only 20,000. 
JEtna is divided into three distinct regions ; these three 
are as difierent, both in climate and productions, as the 
three zones of the earth, and may be styled with propri- 
ety, the torrid, the temperate, and the frigid zones. 
The first region surrounds the foot of the mountain, and 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 7l 

forms the most fertile country in the earth on all sides 
of it, to the height of about fifteen miles ; where the 
woody region begins, it is composed almost entirely of 
lava, which after many ages is at length converted into 
the most fertile soil. The Avoody region, or temperate 
zone, is composed of one vast forest that extends all 
aromid the mountain. Here are enormous chestnut trees, 
one of which, " castagno de cento cavilli," which for some 
centuries past has been looked upon as one of the great- 
est wonders of ^tna. The appearance is like that of 
five trees growing together, but Recupero has found 
that all the stems unite under gromid in one root, and 
on close examination, it is discovered that these five 
trees were once really united in one. There is a large 
opening in the middle measuring 204 feet around, that 
was once occupied by solid timber. 

The circumference of the temperate zone is not less 
than seventy miles. The barren region, or frigid zone, 
is marked by a circle of snow and ice, which extends on 
all sides to the distance of about eight miles. In the 
center of this circle the great crater of the mountain 
rears its burning head, and the region of intense cold 
and of intense heat seems to be forever united in the 
same point. This last region the writer calls the fourth 
region, or that of fire, which has given being to all the 
rest. The crater is a circle of about three and a half 
miles in circumference, and forms a hollow like a vast 
amphitheater, and is so hot that it is dangerous and 
unsafe to enter it. Still it has been done by several par- 
ties; once by Commodore Elisha Peck, IT. S. Navy, 
formerly a resident in New Haven, Conn., but now dead. 
He said he put a silver dollar in the slit of a long pole 



72 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITEKRANEAN. 

and dipped it in the liquid lava. The author was fully 
satisfied with feasting his eyes on this wonderful sight, 
and had no desire to step over the edge of the crater, 
even when the mountain was quiet. It is still very gen- 
erally supposed by these Sicilians, that ^tna is the 
mouth of hell, and that Anna Boleyn has been burning 
in the mountain during two centuries, for the crime of 
inducing Henry VIII. to renounce the religion of the 
Church of Rome. Thucydides is the most early writer 
who speaks of eruptions from ^tna, and enumerates 
three at the close of his book; the latter of these hap- 
pened in the spring 424 B. C, and another fifty years 
earlier, but to the first he gives no date. Pindar 
composed an ode in the 78th Olympiad, five years after 
the second eruption mentioned by Thucydides, in which 
he describes that scene, and retains the ridiculous notion 
held by the ancients, that Jupiter had buried many 
giants under Mount ^tna, and their struggling to get 
loose was the cause of its eruptions. Eucretus has 
spoken of the cause which produced the eruption in his 
6th book. In the year 1669 a violent eruption continued 
six weeks, and the lava in its course overwhelmed four- 
teen towns and villages, destroying 3,000 inhabitants. 
Twelve years after, the city of Catanea was entirely 
overwhelmed by a tremendous earthquake, felt through 
Sicily, Malta, and the Continent, by which 93,000 peo- 
ple suftered death. Since that time there have been 
three remarkable eruptions — in 1753, 1755, and 1783. 
In the latter year the lava reached Palermo, and caused 
great destruction in its course. Since that time it has had 
twelve slight eruptions. The inhabitants of Sicily are a 
social, sprightly people, quite extravagant in dress, and 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 73 

use Sunday for promenade and amusements. The 
Marina is the great place of attraction, in which sailors 
from the shipping usually mingle to a large extent. 
Numbers of jacks or "borckas" are brought on the 
ground to hire to the sailors to ride ; price one dollar a 
day. They are a small animal, long ears, and make 
quite an interesting whinny, especially in the excite- 
ment usual on such occasions. Their gait is a kind of 
shuffling pace, and are sometimes quite fast. They are 
better suited for packing than the saddle, but in the 
absence of horses, are well adapted for sailors. Our 
crew voted a " borcka" ride, and with old Sam, of 
course, we walked ashore one Sunday morning, having 
previously ordered six of those interesting locomotives. 
Old Sam was always counted in, on all occasions of 
frolic ; in fact he was a necessity, for we generally went 
Scott free when he was with us. His pleasant, funny 
face, and frolicsome gestures, mixed with music and dan- 
cing, commanded respect, together with all the fruit and 
wine we wanted. The jacks arrived in front of our ves- 
sel, and on this extraordinary occasion it brought a great 
crowd. A jack was reserved for Sam, that had been 
educated to balk unless punched with a sharp instru- 
ment forward of the saddle ; the secret was with the 
muleteer and myself. We mounted, amid the cheers of 
2,000 people, but the darkey was the center of attrac- 
tion, with his Sunday toggery, looking (all but color) like 
a midshipman, his face radiant with smiles, whip and 
umbrella in hand, mounted, or, I should more properly 
say, straddled the jack, both feet reaching the ground, 
gathered up the reins and sang out, " Go lang, horse, go 
lang smoonly," pressed him with his knees, and to his 



74 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

astonishment the jack braced his fore feet and would not 
move a hair's breadth, but opened his mouth with a 
whinny of extraordinary length and power, which was 
answered by his fellows all over the Marina, but he 
would not go. We turned back to see the sport, amid 
an uproar of cheers from the crowd. It was a rich scene. 
Sam stood facing the jack, talking Congo, Italian and 
English amalgamated, addressed to the animal in tones 
of endearment so soft and smooth that anything but a 
jack would have softened into compliance; patted him, 
rubbed down his short legs, sent on board for a biscuit, 
took up his fore feet, and finally, a little out of patience, 
took up both hind legs, wheelbarrow-fashion, but it was 
no go. The jack was a fixture. The crowd increased in 
numbers as the scene grew interesting, but finally the 
muleteer put in his appearance, saw that Sam was well 
straddled, handed Ijim the reins, whispered in the jack's 
ear, gave the punch, and away he went, heels in the air, 
Sam with a good hug round the animal's neck, but the 
rider kept his position ; the animal quieted down and 
covered the rear of our cavalcade. With his blue 
umbrella, Sam rode as proudly as a king, having a care 
that his black face should not be made the whiter by 
reason of the sun. We returned into the Marina about 
3 o'clock, with an immense crowd in our wake, " order 
of march reversed;" Sam on the right, and well did he 
deserve the honors, the waving of handkerchiefs from 
the dwellings, and the cheers from the streets. He 
returned the salutes by a tip of that laced cap as grace- 
ful as any of our newly-elected governors at their inaug- 
uration, and it would astonish any of our white officials. 
I well remember the beautiful Grecian bend of that long 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 75 

neck, the white teeth, and those long legs operating as 
propellers to a velocipede. The whole thing a grand 
ovation from beginning to end. We were loaded down 
with choice cakes, flowers, and fruits, and I doubt if 
Earl Roger in 1130, as he passed over the same ground, 
on his return from the Holy Land, received more atten- 
tion than the jolly crew of the Shepherdess did in 1822 — 
and wonderful to relate, we were all sober, and not an 
insult was oftered us during the day. Good for the peo- 
ple of Messina ! 

Our return cargo was wine, oranges, lemons, and bird 
seed, and we bid adieu to Sicily, bound for New York. 
Passed Stromboli on the third, and Gibraltar on the 
eighth day out. Came through the strait in company 
with eighty sail of vessels. Our readers may remember 
the calm we endured in the horse latitude, on our out- 
ward passage. We were now reaping the harvest of 
that eight days spent among the fish. The vessel's bot- 
tom was completely covered with clam barnacles, to that 
extent that seven knots an hour was the best speed, with 
a favorable breeze, and they were growing fast. Vari- 
ous experiments were tried to extract them, one of which 
was to sling the boy in a bolin' over the vessel's counter 
with a hoe, but it was of no use. W^e had the Atlantic 
to cross, with a portion of cargo perishable, and in view 
of this our skipper was uneasy in the extreme, and barn- 
acles of the clam species grew fast. The only consola- 
tion was, we could count on good Ashing during the pas- 
sage. About midway across we took a severe gale, with 
a heavy cross-sea, wind about west. We got the vessel 
in good trim and hove her to. Grog was ordered by the 
skipper, and to save the old cook the job, I took the tin 



76 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAISr. 

pot to the cabin, crawled out of door, waited for a good 
chance to dodge the seas, and made a dive for the lee of 
the long boat. Sam had kept his eye on the boy, and 
lest he should get washed overboard, he stepped out of 
the galley at the time I was reaching for the boat's gripe, 
and at the instant a tremendous sea broke all over the 
decks and boat, which lifted me off my feet, lost my 
hold, and as the vessel surged to windward, I was going 
over the lee rail head first in the receding sea, but the 
watchful old cook jumped into the waste, grabbed my 
heel, and hauled me on deck — tin pot in left hand, but 
rum all gone — and with his eyes full of water, shoved 
me up to the galley, got a good hold, and tried to speak ; 
he finally succeeded, with that sweet smile, even under 
the excitement, and said: " Massa Charley, we're safe 
agin' ; but child, done you get de grog no more for de 
men ; we'll jus lef 'um get dare owns grog, but we're 
safe ; now tank God for dat ;" and he clapped both arms 
around me like the hug of a great bear, and cried like a 
child for joy ; and after throwing off the water from my 
stomach, I was in pretty good condition, made better by 
a p<^t of good coffee and a slapper. Fresh water flowed 
freely from Sam's eyes, where a few moments before he 
was blinded with salt. True affection and reciprocal on 
my part, for w^hen Sam let go his hold to save your hum- 
ble servant, his chance for life was but little better than 
mine, but he did not count the cost. The gale continued 
to increase, and hauled more southerly, with a tremend- 
ous chop, and unsafe to scud. During the night the 
wind veered westerly, and it seemed as if the little craft 
could not weather it, at times the sea boarding her from 
opposite directions at the same time, but like the duck, 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 77 

she would shake herself, ready for another wallow. 
"Waist boards" were all out. Forecastle hatch bat- 
tened down, dead lights in, and the vessel again under 
the storm stay-sail. This was all we could do for her, 
whether she w^ent up or down, and, sailor-like, we were 
disposed to accept the circumstances, certainly a happy 
frame of mind to be in. She worried all night at it ; 
seemed to be in good heart in the morning, when the 
wind died out, and we made sail. On an examination 
of my log, I find that in the year previous we took a 
gale of greater magnitude in the same latitude and craft, 
under charge of same skipper, and if the reader will 
bear with me I will relate it. 

We were bound home from Malaga, deeply loaded with 
raisins, in which your humble servant was one of the 
crew. The gale was from the west. Put the vessel 
under short sail, sent down topgallant yards and hove 
her to. The sea and gale increasing, we took in every- 
thing, and set the old favorite " storm stay-sail," on the 
main stays, its hoist on the mainmast. Tack on an iron 
strap on the foremast over the cook's galley, and sheets 
hauled aft, containing but thirty yards heavy canvass, 
and during twelve hours she made good weather, until 
the wind canted up good N. N. E., and increased to a 
tornado. The crew were taken out of the forecastle, 
hatches well secured, dead lights all in, life lines run out- 
side the rail between the standing rigging, decks all 
clear, waist-boards out, and at meridian the gale still 
increased. Our Mate, Mr. Isaac English, was below, 
sick, your humble servant installed second Mate ad inte- 
rim. We all stood at the break of the quarter-deck. 
The skipper as calm as a clock, his eye to windward, 



78 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

and aloft, and the sea, by reason of the great force of 
the wind, was smooth, apparently one mass of foam, 
rushing and hissing, and with it in mighty power came 
the puiF, it struck the vessel ; she yielded to its force, 
and in an instant was on her beam ends, an unwieldy 
mass of wood and iron. This required immediate action, 
for if she lay in this position till the return of the sea 
(which was sure to follow) she would never rise again. 
The wind was fearful as the requiem sounded through 
the blocks and rigging, and the little brig could not 
respond. She was, while in that position, dead, and bid 
fair to be our coffin. The skipper turned to his best 
man and yelled in his ear: "Go forward, cut the stay- 
sail becket, and let it go up." The man hesitated ; he 
turned to another, and he refused — coward, as he was ; 
when, understanding the situation, I pulled off my cap 
and coat, and started, but the skipper^s hand was on my 
shoulder, and putting his mouth to my ear, said : " No, 
boy, I want you here. If I get washed overboard, you 
must get her before the wind, but don't cut away the 
rigging, the sea will be on again when the wind lulls ; 
if I succeed, right your helm when she gets way on her," 
and cat-like he mounted over on her side, caught hold of 
the life-line, lost his footing twice before he reached the 
fore rigging, crawled round to the "cat heads," to the 
"stay-sail nettings," out knife and cut — up went the 
" stay-sail" like a shot from a gun, took the wind, she 
paid off beautifully, gradually gathered way, and like a 
bird came up on her keel, with life. I saw Captain 
Peter as she righted, making fast the stay-sail halyards, 
up to his neck in water, and with his right hand giving 
motion for three cheers, though I doubt that he heard 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 79 

them himself. As she came on to her keel the boy met 
her with her helm, and oif she went a living, breathing 
thing. The Captain came aft, without any visible excite- 
ment, got the yards square, and as he stepped on to the 
quarter-deck, mth a look of withering scorn, in a loud 
voice, said: "Try the pumps, you cowards; and go 
below till I call you !" Agreeably to his prophecy, the 
sea, as though having gained new energies, rolled and 
threshed worse than ever. We took in the storm stav- 
sail, set the close-reefed main top-sail, and the good man 
with the boy "scud" her "trick a trick" till the gale 
abated. 

" Honor to whom honor is due." He was ready for 
any emergency. Had he neglected " dead lights," " fore 
scuttle," and "upper yards," she never would have 
righted, for raisins grow heavy when water-soaked, and 
a vessel, under all the circumstances, could not have 
righted by cutting away her masts. He knew that our 
doom was the bottom of the ocean, or our bodies would 
be food for sharks, if she was not on her feet before the 
sea began its mountainous ravings again. 

We found our cargo in splendid order on discharging 
it in New York. Weather cleared up, the gale abated, 
and now let us return to our present voyage. 

Plenty of lish, plenty of wind, but on the coast we got 
soundings off Chincoteague Shoal, rigged our long geer 
for codfish. Hove to a half hour, and caught all we 
wanted; squared away with wind southwest; made the 
highlands, but before we got a pilot the wind popped 
out northwest and cold ; were obliged to heave to, and 
drifted off to southward of the Gulf Stream, Wind 
backed round ; headed her up for the Hook again ; got 



80 A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

soundings off Barnegat ; wind southwest ; everything 
set ; came up with Sandy Hook ; wind came out again 
northwest at midnight, held us three days, and off she 
went again ; came up the third time, got hold of the 
light at Sandy Hook, about 9 o'clock p. m. and no pilot ; 
wind northeast, light; indications of another nor'wester; 
plumped her into the horse-shoe ; skipper determined 
not to be blown off again ; overhauled a good scope of 
both cables (hemp) and just as the prelude to the nor'- 
wester struck us; we found four fathoms water; let go 
both anchors; paid out to the better end; let fly every- 
thing ; clued up, and had every sail " furled" but the 
main top-sail, clued it up, hauled out the " earings," six 
of us on the yard, Sam and the second Mate at the yard 
arm ; the latter outside ; I was in the act of hauling up 
the " dog's ear" when the nor'wester pounced on us, and 
as my body was leaning over the yard it gave the sail a 
twitch, took me clean over the yard, and as I went I 
caught the reef tackle, hung by the right hand, and, 
without a good grip, should have dropped overboard 
clear of the vessel; but while the boy hung in that posi- 
tion he felt Sam's hand in his collar, and you may depend 
he brought me up till I fastened to the " lift" and got 
position again on the yard. It was so dark that we 
could not see one another, nor could we hear. All 
necessary remarks and exclamations from Sam were 
reserved till we were all snug, and as we gathered 
around the old galley, with a pot of grog, the vessel rid- 
ing out the gale, Sam said to me: "Massa Charley, 
u'ze a charmed chicken ; u'ze may be hanged, but 
u'ze nebber will be drowned." Sam was my trusty 
body-guard, not only this voyage, but many others, and 



A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 81 

in the intervals made his home in the family. He finally 
withdrew from the sea, and sighing for the " iron pots" 
and " skimmers," was installed as cook in a nice little 
brick building attach-d to the alms house, equally as 
happy as in his palmy days. He would not eat the 
bread of idleness, preferring his old occupation, and in 
the absence of the writer and family from Xew Haven, 
Sam's account with this world was closed at the age of 
45. " Sit tibi terra levis,''^ "Light lie the earth on thee." 
But to resume our voyage. We were in the " horse- 
shoe," riding out the " nor'wester," with " best bower" 
anchor " backed" with the " kedge," where she lay till 
morning ; took a pilot and went to the city ; making the 
passage in fifty-six days from Sicily. Fruit in fair order. 
Remark Special. — This has been quite an eventful 
voyage, it certainly has to the writer ; for had not his 
two guardian angels constantly hovered over him, I 
mean the skipper and old Sam, we never could have 
given you this narrative, and I should not have been 
placed in the position to render "honor to whom honor 
is due." 

Advice. — Don't send a boy to sea in the hands of 
unprincipled men, in order to effect a cure of the " 14- 
year-old fever," for generally it is a failure. Pick out 
the Peter Storer hind., and your boy, if bright, will make 
a man, and if with a grateful heart, and he cannot 
express it ^^ viva voce,'^^ perhaps before he arrives at the 
age of 73, he will publish it in a book, and scatter the 
facts of his treatment broadcast. This voyage certainly 
was a compound of gales, calms, dangers, escapes, fun 
and frolic. 



Card. — Summer Boarding at Short Beach, Branford, 
Conn. Stages three times a day to and from New Haven. 
Opens June 1st — till November. Price |10 per week. 

C. F. HOTCHKISS. 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

Two sons on the way, Dec. 1848— Ship Orpheus — Passage loj steamer 
Crescent City, Sept. 1849 — Death and Burial at Sea— Gold the gen- 
eral topic with 500 Passengers — Touched at Havana — Arrival at 
Chagres — Miserable Hole — Constant rains and excessive heat — 
Effects of Gambhng — Boatmen and Canoes — Alcaldi — Mutiny — 
Capt. Henry Thompson of East Haven — GTood Pluck — At Crusus — 
Demand for Mules — Advice of an American — My mule Americanus 
— Dead and balky Mules — Entered the gorge left foot first — Rains 
and Mud — Beautiful Scenery — Lizards and Snakes — Route for Treas- 
ure — Large transfers for ages — Beef by the yard — Sylvester Potter's 
Horses — Safe arrival at Panama — Affection for Americanus— U. S. 
Hotel — Scene in Cockpit — Sam's remark on " Consistumcy " — Bound 
up the Coast — Steamer Panama, Capt. Bailey — Touched at Mazatlan, 
Acapulco, and San Diego — Arrived at San Francisco — Breakfast on 
Shore, $3.00 — Scene at Happy Yalley — Opened business same day 
— No Yegetables — Scurvy — Bread at the front door free — Large 
arrivals — Wm. Fuller sick — Arrival of brig Ann Smith, Capt. Bowns 
—Scenes at Post Office — G-ambling HeUs — Vigilant Committee — Cur- 
tain lifted— No Females — No time to lose — Store corner Sansom 
and Jackson sts., rent $32,500— Butter $1.00 a pound— Moved to 
Stockton— Safe Deposit— Vigilant Committee— A Woman arrived— 
Warned by the Committee to leave — Scaffold and four graves at its 
foot — Sick — "Vamoosed the Ranch" — Nice trip down the Coast — 
Arrived safe at home — Account Current — Pope's Essay on Gold 
Hunting. 



84 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 



THE author having fitted out his two sons, Henry 
and Charles, for California, they left New York by 
steamer "Crescent City," December 23d, 1848; crossed 
the Isthmus to Panama, from which place they reported 
themselves as waiting conveyance to San Francisco. 
After considerable delay they took passage in a small 
craft, unseaworthy and with miserable accommodations ; 
suffered many privations, and through many risks at last 
arrived at San Francisco, and went immediately to the 
mines. Much anxiety was felt for their fate, and on the 
eve of my departure to look after them, we had advices 
as above, but not stating their destination from San Fran- 
cisco. I selected 150 kegs (15,000 lbs.) choice butter; 
put in brine, placed each keg in another package, filled 
that also with brine, made up an invoice of other goods, 
shipped them by ship Orpheus from New York, con- 
signed to myself. Among the goods were an old iron 
safe, of no particular value here, but, as will appear, of 
great value in California. It was about three feet 
square, no obstructions inside, with lid on top. Consid- 
erable many passengers went in the Orpheus round Cape 
Horn from New Haven — for which vessel I was the 
agent at that place. Your humble servant left New 
York by steamer Crescent City for Chagres, Sept. 15th, 
1849, with a great crowd of gold-seekers, a singular 
compound of men, and but five women — in which both 
ladies and gentlemen were extremely scarce. If I touch 
any person's toes in this broad remark, you are at lib- 
erty to class me as you choose, though I think you can- 
not deny the truth of my assertion, if you were one of 
the 500 passengers on that trip. Gambling, rum and 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 85 

oaths were the circulating medium the whole trip, morn- 
ing, noon and night. Gold was the absorbing topic of 
conversation. The day previous to our sighting the isl- 
and of Cuba, where we were to touch for mails, one of 
the number was brought on deck, laid on a board in the 
waist of the ship near the quarter boat, with a view to 
burial. One of the passengers, with a cigar in his 
mouth, stood at the head of the corpse, prayer book in 
hand, the body, except the head, was placed in a piece 
of old canvas, having about 100 lbs. of coal at the feet; 
the skipper touched the engineer for a slow, the board 
was pointed about forty-five degrees depression from the 
ship's rail, the man of the prayer book took his cigar 
from his mouth, and held it by the thumb and fore finger, 
read a few short sentences, the national colors were 
already up " to truck" and had been since 8 o'clock in 
the morning, the ship not yet lost her steerage way, 
when the man with the book cried out : " Launcho ! !" 
and the body slid from the board, a few bubbles 
remained on the surface a moment, and the ship was on 
her course again. No notice was given of the intended 
ceremonies; the colors gave no evidence of sympathy; 
the ship did not lose her " way ;" no notice was given 
about the ship, nor were the gambling parties in any 
way disturbed, and I asked myself: " If such scenes are 
enacted on the Atlantic, what shall we witness on the 
Pacific ?" 

We touched at Havana, exchanged mails, and in due 
time arrived at Chagres, a low, miserable town, of 
thirty thatched huts, and the passengers got on shore as 
best they could, in miserable shore canoes, under an old 
roll of the Caribbean Sea, in which several were 



86 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

swamped. Chagres at this time was poorly prepared for 
the immense emigration, and with half the canoes 
required to transport them up to Crusus. No eating 
houses or saloons, in an extremely low latitude, and every 
one who had not gambled away his money and ticket 
for up the coast, anxious to get away from the misera- 
ble hole. Our little party of four having had some expe- 
rience in roughing, concluded a bargain with two 
brawny natives to pole us through to Crusus, took them 
before their alcalde (justice), paid the bill, conditioned 
that they should lose no time on the way, they to feed 
themselves, four hours per twenty-four given for rest, 
and forfeit a flogging if they did not perform. A wise 
a'nd good arrangement, as it proved, for the rascals 
mutinied on us the next morning, and refused to go for- 
ward unless we gave them food. We remonstrated, 
took possession of the craft ourselves, shoved her off 
shore, held by a pole well down in the mud, and waited 
events. Four Yankees, with each a pistol, on even 
ground, against two natives, stark naked, was considera- 
ble odds in our favor, and we intended to keep it. Soon 
a passing canoe, with a single native, came drifting 
down, to whom we beckoned. He was a mongrel, and 
carried quite a jolly countenance, and a native of Crusus, 
with a spattering of mixed Congo and English. We 
stated our complaint against the mutineers, referred him 
to them, and on hearing their story he decided against 
them, and yet they refused to go. By this time our 
patience became exhausted, when Captain Henry Thomp- 
son, of East Haven, took his revolver from under his 
shirt, we cast off" the line, and our friend Thompson gave 
it to them in tall Spanish^ with a pistol pointed sharp at 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 87 

the leader ; but they gave in, and at it they went. At 
the next village we called down their alcalde, made 
our complaint and our fears of another outbreak ; he 
heard their story, and if ever a native of the Isthmus got 
"Jesse," these men took it in double doses. We found this 
alcalde's supervision worked to a charm, for the " crit- 
ters" behaved themselves the rest of the voyage. On 
we went in our little dug-out, difficulties all adjusted, 
cramped up in sitting posture, with an occasional land- 
ing to boil coffee, of which we gave the mutineers all 
they wanted — and thus in all we occupied three days 
and nights, amid the rain, shine and heat of this extreme 
latitude. The natives, with their songs and hoots, as 
they approached the villages, and the answers returned 
gave them good cheer. During the day the scenery 
was truly delightful. Parrots of various kinds, and par- 
oquets, with their constant chattering in their flight 
across the river, monkeys occasionally in the trees, of all 
sizes, only of one kind; it was no uncommon thing to 
see a mother and her young huddled together apparently 
in fright at the encroachments of the gold-hunters, and 
instead of fleeing from danger, would climb a tree on the 
river bank, within shooting distance, and scold at the 
passer-by. Immense quantities of flowers on the edge of 
the river, the great lazy alligator would occasionally 
slide off the bank, and a world of smaller sizes on sticks 
and stones, were really frightful. The Chagres River 
appeared to be full of these venomous creatures. 

On my trip down this river there were perhaps 100 
canoes in requisition for passengers, many of whom not 
desiring to arrive in Chagres before daybreak, hauled up 
at a village three miles above. We came down late, and 



88 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

lay on the outside the fleet, made fast, and lay down for 
sleep. The moon was up, with a clear sky. I was 
awakened several times by a swash at the side of the 
canoe, and I raised up, stretched out my head, command- 
ing a view of the swell of the canoe, the rays of the 
moon showing young alligators, their hind parts in the 
water the whole length of the canoe, and the surface of 
the water was teeming with them ; I was quiet for five 
minutes, when giving the canoe a sudden roll, they all 
returned to their native element. But my sleep for the 
night was minus, and I rejoiced that to-morrow I should 
he well out of sight if not mind of the Chagres River — 
its loathsome atmosijhere and venomous reptiles. But I 
was doomed to witness a more vivid scene in the morn- 
ing. We moved oj)posite on the river to make up our 
morning's meal. I was the first ashore. Fronting me 
appeared a little alcove, having a beautiful grass plot of 
five rods square, nicely shaded with vines and shrubs, 
but literally alive with snakes, lizards and guanas. It 
appeared to me that I stood before a moving panorama 
of reptiles. 1 was nearly paralyzed at the sight. The 
snakes were of various sizes and color, and some ten feet 
long. They made as sudden a retreat as I did. The 
lizards covering bushes and shrubs, would retreat only 
as I advanced ; in size from five to twelve inches, striped, 
brown, yellow, and red. My blood apparently ceased to 
flow, and it required some eflbrt to rouse myself, and 
once in the canoe, I never left her till alongside the 
steamer for ]^ew York. I have ever since pondered in 
my mind, why this great convention of reptiles ? why 
should the " boa" cong-reojate with the little lizard ? or 
the poisonous rattle with the guana ? and I have never 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 89 

satisfactorily solved these questions. Could it be that 
the gathering was to consider the recent encroachments 
of the gold-seekers, where perhaps six months before the 
first human footstep touched that soil? Our readers 
must remember that the Chagres River has been used 
thousands of years for the transport of treasure, and sel- 
dom for a passenger, until the rush for California. 

Crusus is the only place on this river giving evidence 
of antiquity or civilization ; the arrangements for the 
transportation of treasure over the mountains to Crusus 
and thence by canoe to ship at Chagres. Panama has 
been the receiving warehouse for treasure ages ago, yes, 
a thousand years or more before gold was discovered in 
California, by the American people. It did not require 
an army of soldiers to convoy it in its transit, any more 
than it does now. It was brought to Panama, con- 
signed to old established houses to forward ; they sent 
it on the backs of mules, through the mountain gorges, 
under charge of a leading muleteer, to Crusus, with his 
half-dozen drivers ; there transferred to canoes, with but 
one man in each to paddle it down to ship, but in 1848 
a warehouse was built at Chagres, and now an agent is 
kept there to transship. Formerly it was kept in Pan- 
ama, till notice came of the ship's readiness to receive it. 
The European monarchs and money-changers have dur- 
ing the palmy days of the old city of Panama, received 
treasure through this channel, and are yet doing the 
same thing. The night that the author rested at Cru- 
sus, in 1849, a train of fifty mule^ came in from Panama, 
and unloaded the treasure contained in wood boxes of 
suitable sizes, inclosing a tin box ; and in conversation 
with the consignee, he said not one dollar of it came 



90 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

from California, but it was from Peru and other mining 
countries, and that for ages it had come through succes- 
sive forwarding houses ; he had done it all his days, then 
60 years old, through his guardian in infancy, and back 
through his father, and his father's father also. We 
found Crusus quite a neat village, with a cleanly, neat, 
and honest people. Not well supplied with plum pud- 
ding and oyster sauce, but quite a sufficiency of Mexican 
beef, cut in strips, sun-dried, and sold by the yard. 
Monkey and guana were quite plenty and palatable, 
when a man is hungry, provided he does not see his toes, 
and these are left on in cooking, as evidence of their 
purity. Their coffee is good. The men are all schemers 
for money, and yet are honest. They carry tremendous 
chests and trunks on their heads, through the gorges to 
Crusus. The village is a dance house from dusk to mid- 
night. The banjo is their favorite instrumental music, 
always accompanied by the female voice only. Your 
baggage put in the hands of the men at either Panama 
or Crusus for transit, is as safe as Avith the owner. The 
hotel was a horrid place in 1849, both in its eating and 
sleeping department — the latter, instead of the neat, 
clean South American hammock, consisted of bunks, full 
of vermin. Any person who should happen to require a 
lodging, could, if of cleanly appearance, obtain from the 
citizens a neat, cozy hammock swung in the open door- 
way, free from filth or vermin, for " duce rialis" (tw^enty- 
five cents), and see the dancing free. On my return 
trip the same hotel existed under the same administra- 
tion, but experience being a good schoolmaster, we 
respectfully declined, and found better sleeping, without 
the accompanying torture of vermin. 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 91 

But let us return to our departure from Crusus to 
Panauia, through the gorges, for the mules are ready, 
and as a body much resemble the horses that our wor- 
thy citizen, " Sylvester," formerly dealt in, " none worth 
over ten shillings" — one of which I sold as auctioneer in 
New Haven for seventy-five cents, having advanced 
the worthy owner two dollars on it the day before, 
Sylvester was in the audience ; State street was blocked 
up by the people, and always was at the sale of a horse, 
whether good, bad, or indifferent. The creature sold 
after much effort, for seventy-five cents, amid many 
cheers and some hisses. After getting a quiet audience, 
I said : " Gentlemen, this horse was sold for account of 
'Sylvester,' under an advance of two dollars; please 
help me make up the account sales, for it seems to be on 
the wrong side of DaboU." One of the audience as sud- 
denly as a clap of thunder, cried out: "Gentlemen, I 
propose that the auctioneer pay ' Sylvester' the seventy- 
five cents, and guarantee the purchaser that the ' old 
rip' lives till he arrives at his stable, giving him twenty 
minutes lee way. Are you ready for the question ? 
Those in favor will say aye" — when the whole street 
responded in the afiirmative, and your humble servant 
did as requested, paid the seventy-five cents, and bar- 
gained with the purchaser that lie should have the ani- 
mal without pay, if he would get him out of the street 
in two minutes. Well, these mules, financially, were 
like " Sylvester's" horses at New Haven — only that the 
Crusus mules were immediately absorbed, and it was 
found that the demand far exceeded the supply, ('ur- 
rent price ten dollars for the ride to Panama — no reclam- 
ation on either side if he died on the journey. Acting 



92 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

on a hint given by a railroad official, then surveying the 
route for the Panama road, I rested for the crowd to 
mount, when he turned to a native, told him my wants, 
and to bring up his " Americanus," a large, beautiful 
animal, with a splendid Mexican outrig, for which I 
gladly paid him fifteen dollars, thanked my friend for his 
kindness, and after receiving instructions for the mule's 
care in Panama, I started with perfect assurance of my 
safety on the trip — I covered the rear of the great cav- 
alcade, passed a dozen mules on the balk, and some 
floundering in mud holes. At the entrance of the first 
gorge in the mountain, about a mile from the hotel, I 
found several animals that refused to enter, while Amer- 
icanus stepped square up to the work, entered the gorge 
en miltair^ left foot first, and never stumbled through 
the route. These passages through the gorges are only 
of sufficient width for a pack animal, and on entering 
them from either end, a signal of a loud whistle or hoot 
of the man in charge of the train is given, and answered 
by the other, and the party omitting to give this notice, 
if met in the gorge, must back out. The reader will 
understand that these gorges are more or less circuitous, 
quite uneven, varying in height from eight to twenty 
feet, ascending and descending with foot marks made by 
the animals from three to six inches deep, depending on 
the hardness of the rock, and evidently this rough and 
uncouth road has been used for many ages. The soil 
between these gorges is extremely muddy in the season 
of rain, and it is in these places where we realize the 
value of an able mule. Many of the poor animals here 
flounder and die ; the riders must then foot it to Pan- 
ama. " Americanus," with the reins untouched, would 



CALIFORNIA IN 184 9. 93 

pick his way through the mud, always enter a gorge left 
foot first, would make no halts but for water and grass, 
and in good heart carried me through to Panama and of 
his own accord, landed me at the United States Hotel, 
just at sunset, where I sat by his side, gave him bread 
and grass to his heart's content, and with a good rub- 
bing down, kissed his homely face, bid him good-bye, 
and, as ordered in Crusus, turned him adrift to find his 
regular quarters in Panama. No animal without a 
muleteer is allowed to enter a gorge. They find a home 
at both ends of the route. 

I turned to the hotel for my own quarters. The peo- 
ple continued to arrive till midnight — some on foot, 
weary, wet, and drunken. I consider that my invest- 
ment of fifteen dollars was one of the best I ever made. 
Long live " Americanus." One incident that occurred 
in Panama worth relating, and we will " up the coast," 
where it seems as if all the world were bound. It was 
Sunday; while sitting at the hotel I noticed a church edi- 
fice directly opposite, on the steps of which was a col- 
ored boy with a splendid large Spanish game cock, to 
which he was fastening a pair of fine pointed gaffs. On 
inquiry of our landlord, I found the animal and boy were 
the property of the priest then officiating at the altar 
inside the church, and at 12 o'clock the services would 
close, and a grand fight would come off* at the cockpit, 
six doors below, in which the priest would be " chief 
cook and bottle-washer" — seats free. At the time 
appointed I covered the rear of the procession, the boy, 
the game cock, and his reverence at the head, and 
entered the cock pit, under cover and in form like an 
ampitheater. About 300 persons were present, under no 



94 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

order or control, everybody had their say, and on the 
whole " a scene of confusion worse confounded," bedlam 
let loose, and in which his reverence was as active and 
noisy as the rest. The only rule (said my interpreter), 
which they agree to enforce, is, " that no person shall 
enter the pit during a fight." Money passed to the per- 
son in the rostrum quite freely, but the chatter and 
swearing continued without any intermission, and finally 
a pair of fowls were let in through the trap doors, each 
with steel gaffs on, and without any ceremony, at it they 
w^ent — result, one dead, the other bleeding from the 
neck — several matches were made and closed — but your 
humble servant had no relish for such cruel scenes, but 
was much more interested with the audience, for by this 
time they were so clamorous that a field fight was in 
prospect, several clenches occurred, but results were not 
as plainly visible as in the case of the feathered tribe, for 
I soon found they were all great cowards, and made 
more "fuss than feathers." These men were all well 
dressed in white, the rig consisted mostly of slippers, 
white half-hose, linen pants and shirts, with a light straw 
hat; every one of them as clean as if just out of a band- 
box or laundry ; but they were an excitable, nervous, 
boyish race — natural born cock-fighters and gamblers, 
all smoking splendid cigars, but what they lacked in 
fighting, they made up in confused ranting. But to 
close. His reverence was now getting up his match ; he 
was plump six feet tall, of a sharp visage, dressed in 
black bombazine mantle, and black chapeau, black silk 
hose, and tight serge gaiters, and if never active before, 
was now truly " the biggest toad in the puddle," made 
the most noise, and swore more than any other man in 



CALIFORNIA IN^ 1849. 95 

the party. The two birds were let into the arena, amid 
continuous shouts and screams enough to frighten the 
evil one himself, if not the two roosters. As before 
stated, I was intent on the audience not in the pit, until 
the first slash, I saw the " dominie" jump into the pit for 
his bird, but it was too late, his throat was cut clean 
open, — he looked the picture of despair, took his dead 
bird and boy and walked away, minus, as my interpreter 
said, sixteen doubloons, and I trust a wiser and a better 
man, though the next Sunday he was burning incense at 
the altar of the same church. I seated myself on the 
shady verandah of my hotel, and remembered an expres- 
sion of my good old cook, Sam Chase, when standing at 
the door of a dance house at Malaga, Spain, where rum 
flowed freely, and the priests drank and danced till 
drunk, he exclaimed : " Gorra mighty, Massa Charley, 
what kind of consistumcy is dis ?" 

The steamer Panama was ready, her passengers got 
on board as best they could, and we left for San Fran- 
cisco, or rather, those of us who had not sold or gam- 
bled away our money or tickets. The ship was cleanly 
and under good discipline and command of Captain Bai- 
ley, whose orders were to touch ofi" and on at Mazatlan, 
at Acapulco for coal, and San Diego for passengers, and 
then for San Francisco, but to use up twenty-one days 
on the passage. Nothing of interest occurred during 
the passage, and we arrived the twenty-first day, all 
well. I landed next morning, foot of Jackson street, 
and entered an eating room on Montgomery, ordered 
cup of coflee, two eggs, and beef steak, no butter, paid 
$2.50, and consoled myself that I had 15,000 pounds of 
choice butter in the ship Orpheus, which somebody 



96 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

would be obliged to pay one dollar a pound for. I step- 
ped out on the street — everything was in a crude state ; 
I spent a portion of the day in the examination of San 
Francisco as it then was. At Happy Valley I found 
about 200 people, " squatters," some in tents, some in 
crockery hogsheads and dry -goods boxes, as their shel- 
ter. It was sufficient for their purpose, if the head was 
protected from the storm, while their legs were left out. 
What better could they do ? A few building on the 
Plaza had been roughly thrown together. One public 
house, one old " adobe" shanty, the rest used as gam- 
bling houses. Lumber, if to be found, was worth |1,000 
per one thousand feet. All vessels arriving were boarded 
for this necessary article. Cotton goods and tacks were 
wanted for tents, as a substitute, the latter two dollars a 
paper. Long boots were in great demand at fifty dol- 
lars ; bread, pork and nails were plenty ; molasses, none ; 
sugar, any price demanded; Mexican beef and salmon 
plenty ; flour, forty dollars. People constantly arriving 
by vessels, and streets quite lively. Well, the day ^ was 
far spent, and it was time for nie to make a dive for a 
shelter. A plain board shanty was being erected on the 
corner of Montgomery and a street leading to the Plaza. 
The roof was on, but no partitions. I bargained for ten 
feet square on first floor for 150 dollars per month, to be 
put in order, and I put in possession in one huur, for 
which I paid the gold, and it was quite amusing to 
notice the way that nails were crowded into boards. 
Everything in the carpenter line was '* by the job" — and 
true to the bargain, my shelter was finished, and at dusk 
I rolled into my bunk, a blanket for a bed, and slept as 
soundly as a king till morning. " Cash paid for every- 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 97 

thing," was my chalk sign, and by 8 o'clock a. m. I was 
an old resident, ready for business. Vessels were con- 
stantly arriving, and from them we gleaned many arti- 
cles, never questioning price. The cry was, goods ! 
goods ! ! from every quarter. " Big-sized boots" were 
my favorites. I found three cases, and before night all 
sold at fifty dollars a pair. Anything portable was 
what I aimed at, because ten feet square could not hold 
much coarse staples. Tacks for tents were another favor- 
ite, and every vessel would spare a few. The simple 
rule in merchandising was, pay the price named, and 
ask what you choose. The influx of people was a curi- 
osity, many of whom were dumped ashore from vessels 
without money or food. Pilot bread in large quantities 
had fortunately been shipped from Boston, and this gave 
some relief, but vegetables were out of the question. 
The want of these necessities caused much sickness. 
Scurvy and diarrhoea were the universal complaints; 
every potato and onion that ships would part with was 
hoarded up for the sick; no sound man could obtain one 
for his own eating. A cask of bread and barrel of pork 
stood at the door of every merchant, free to the 
sick. 

The miners began to arrive from the mines to recruit. 
They had gold and scurvy both — the former worthless, 
without a potato or an onion. These two articles were 
the only antidote for their complaint, and it was amus- 
ing to see with what avidity they would scrape them 
with a knife, costing half their weight in gold. This 
state of things was soon remedied by the arrival of ves- 
sels from Chili ; but for six months these articles sold for 
one dollar the pound. With onions or potatoes raw^, the 



98 CALIFOENIA IN 1849. 

worst case of scurvy could be cured in ten days. But 
1 must not give the reader mucli more of this melan- 
choly picture. 

It was calculated that the increase of population in 
San Francisco was over 1,500 persons average per day 
from February 1st to June 1st, 1850, and that over 400 
vessels of various nations and sizes, in May, were at 
anchor in the bay, deserted by their crews, but gener- 
ally with a single ship-keeper on board. Had there been 
a sufficiency of lumber and carpenters in the market we 
could with truth say, " A city could be built in a day." 
But trade went on swimmingly, and with good margins. 

I was comfortably surprised one morning to welcome 
my old neighbor, Wm. Fuller, Esq., having arrived from 
Sacramento to recruit, and bringing me news from my 
two sons, who were then with his friends on the " Amer- 
ican fork" — and in my little quarters of ten feet square 
he was made as comfortable in his severe sickness, and 
durino- the season of rains, as we could control. His was 
the chronic diarrhoea, caused by exposure in the Sacra- 
mento sah-non fishing. Friend Fuller will tell you of his 
narrow escape and suffering, but now hale and hearty, 
dealing largely piscatorially on Long Wharf, New 
Haven, Ct. It was evident that Mr. F. was not improv- 
ino- in health with the crude accommodations under my 
roof, and the constant chilly rains of the season, and I 
solicited Captain William Bowns, then lying at anchor 
in the bay, to take Mr. F. on board his vessel, being san- 
guine that it would save his life, and the writer is happy 
to place on record the hearty response received from the 
Captain, who immediately welcomed him on board, gave 
him every attention and care, under which Mr. Fuller 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 99 

immediately began to mend, and in three weeks went on 
his way rejoicing, a well man. 

I purchased the cargo of Captain Bowns, and paid 
the bill in full ; never had a dispute with him with regard 
to reclamations for shorts or damage, but found him to 
be the same noble-hearted man as in boyhood, a kind, 
generous play and schoolmate of mine all my younger 
days, from three years old, and with whom the w^riter 
enjoyed many a " piscatorial" excursion in middle life. 
All our intercourse at San Francisco was genial, pleas- 
:ant and friendly, and I challenge the world to find one 
who more keenly mourned his decease than I did, not 
excepting his wife. It is said that " murder will out in 
time," and this is a good opportunity to prove the appli- 
cation of the old adage. After the decease of Captain 
William Bowns, the author was considerably annoyed 
by reports emanating from one who stood high in the 
family of the Captain, that '•she was made poor by rea- 
son of C. F. Hotchkiss having cheated the Captain out 
of the cargo sold him in San Francisco." 

Bemarks. — The only cargo bought by the writer of 
Captain Bowns was that alluded to above, and for the 
payment of which I hold a receipt in full, and, further- 
more, I respectfully refer my friends or enemies, who 
swallowed and repeated the unqualified lie to my injury, 
to Charles Peterson, Esq., President of the New Haven 
Security Insurance Company, the owner of said vessel 
and cargo, who will tell you that the good Captain did 
not own a penny of the cargo, nor did he in the settlement 
of that voyage report any balance due from your humble 
servant. My quarters in my little office on Montgomery 
street were too strait^ and I rented a two story building 



100 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

in course of erection, located on the flats, foot of Jackson 
street, sixty feet square, the lower floor for goods, three 
doors opening to the sea, a dock on the south side for 
landing goods and j)assengers. The upper story was 
converted to bunks, three tiers high, making about 100 
bunks. The approach to the city was by a bridge. It 
was the first building erected below Montgomery street, 
and its rent was 32,500 dollars per year, payable 
monthly in advance, privileged to vacate in four months. 
Here we had a good, roomy place for goods. Lodgings 
one dollar each person, they finding bedding. I boarded 
many friends, lodged many strangers, making it a rule 
never to turn the poor away. Vessels continued to 
arrive. Lumber fell to 500 dollars per thousand ; build- 
ings rose in every direction like magic. Men off" a long 
voyage were dumped ashore like cattle, at least 100 
miles from the mines, and passage to Stockton or Sacra- 
mento twenty-five dollars. Stout hearts quailed, — the 
robust and the strong were the first to succumb. My 
store, without rum (thank God), was the great thorough- 
fare for the living and the dead. It was difficult to tell 
whether less or more of the sick came from the mines or 
landed from vessels. Scurvy from the mines and ship 
fever from the vessels. 

Our only law was a Vigilance Committee — they not 
considering the dead and dying as coming within their 
jurisdiction. Gold, gold, gold, could well be the epi- 
taph of thousands. Thus far for the dark side, not half 
told. The bright side to me was the arrival of my two 
sons — both sick — but vegetables were getting plenty, 
and with the care and council of Doctor Beers, formerly 
of New Haven, Charles, the youngest, recruited sufiS- 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 101 

ciently, and by advice of the doctor was sent home in 
company with Mr. W. J. Clark, of Southington, who 
kindly volunteered to care for him. Henry remained 
with me. 

The ship Orpheus arrived safe, and her invoice paid a 
round margin ; butter on its arrival was one dollar per 
pound. The busy scenes of life began to tell on me. 
Those strong, cold winds of San Francisco were too 
much, and I heeded the admonition, began to prepare 
for a removal to Stockton, but before I go let me 
describe the scenes on the Plaza. Post office first — 
every day a string of people three deep, tw^enty rods 
long, waiting a chance at the delivery. Two days often 
passed before the party at the rear could get a chance at 
the window ; many times have I seen a line forming in 
the night, to insure a chance next day ; five dollars w^as 
often paid for a chance near the window, the party retir- 
ing must go to the rear. The office facilities were of 
course imperfect. These men were mostly miners, and 
they represented all their friends in the mines, and these 
were easily distinguished by a bag of gold, large or small, 
slung over the neck, the bag resting in their bosom. 
The newly arrived generally had on a good shirt, but 
the others more likely no shirt at all, an unshaven, care- 
w^orn, hard-looking set of men, of all countries, nations, 
and tongues. Some good natured, some ugly looking, 
and an occasional tall, lank, gray-eyed Yermonter, and 
down to the poor Chilian, half-naked. At the side of 
this string could be seen 500 to 1,000 new-comers, seek- 
ing information of the mines and how to get there, and 
an occasional recognition of friends would take place. 
Then those who had passed the rubicon w^ere scattered 



102 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

in all directions, reading letters from " sweet-hearts and 
wives." On the opposite side of the Plaza were the 
gambling hells, in full blast, with piles of gold, which 
the uninitiated would buck against in vain. 

These scenes, mixed with the hundreds in the streets 
of poor, sickly and emaciated men with scurvy and 
diarrhoea, more like moving ghosts, was sufficient to- 
make one cry out, "All for gold." Yes, all this and 
more, and yet not a female to be seen, except, perhapsy 
an occasional Digger squaw. This was the panorama of 
the winter of 1850 and spring of '51. Oh ! what degra- 
dation for gold ! 

But let us look around near the corner of the Plaza^ 
where the national colors are flying, and where the Vig- 
ilance Committee, in the absence of all statute or territo- 
rial law, take in hand the administration of justice, and 
where it swiftly followed arrests. Nothing else would 
seem to answer the purpose, for if they were without 
organization, our lives would not be worth a brass farth- 
ing. No crowd of anxious information-seekers or curi- 
osity-hunters are ever seen in that room, though the 
national emblem tails to the breeze night and day. It 
is empty now, but perhaps in half an hour a private 
duplicate key will admit eight men of business with a. 
tiler, but there will be no formal crier to open the court. 
The gavel strikes the table, and the prisoner is brought 
in from a side door, the witnesses confront him ; there is 
no sick juror to wait for, the judges are business men,, 
there are no pettifoggers to worry the judge ; time is 
precious in San Francisco now ; men have immense 
rents to pay ; they move quick ; there is no superfluity 
of words ; jurors cannot be bribed nor witnesses befog- 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 103 

ged. The story is told, and it is told to honest men — 
men without a salary — men who are sick of the intrica- 
cies of law, and men who will administer justice, though 
the heavens were on fire. " What is your opinion, gen- 
tlemen ?" The answer comes by signs. " The prisoner 
is guilty." There is no long roll of talk from the bench, 
to harrow up the soul of the guilty wretch. He is told 
his doom ; he is not (vide the Spanish inquisition) put 
to the rack in order to extract information as to his 
accomplices. He is plainly told what he knows to be 
true, "You are guilty of murder. You have twenty 
minutes to prepare for death." The scaffold is in the 
room — the time is up — he swings, a sharp piece of steel 
enters his heart — the tiler does his duty, and the body 
is taken to " the hill" in the evening, where all the dead 
are buried. The flag still floats; the protectors of the 
people's interests have resumed their business, and for 
the sake of example, it may or may not be said, that 
another murderer has paid the penalty of his crime, but 
his name is never mentioned. 

'Now, reader, I have closed my interest at San Fran- 
cisco, which I found to be a very easy matter. New- 
comers were plenty, and away for Stockton. The cli- 
mate and surroundings being much more congenial to 
my constitution and feelings, but I shall remember the 
howling morning winds that with a cold, dense fog, roll 
over the city of San Francisco. The trade of Stockton 
is mostly with muleteers, who run trains of pack mules 
with supplies for the miners. 

The old steamer Sutter made regular trips from San 
Francisco three times a week ; fare twenty-five dollars. 
Stockton then had about 1,200 inhabitants, and only one 



104 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

female, except three poor, degraded Digger squaws; 
with five wood buildiDgs, the other shelter was tents. 
The wood buildings were occupied for gambling, where 
" monte" was the favorite game. The town w^as regu- 
larly laid out, with a street leading up from the landing 
seventy feet wide. Goods were generally displayed in 
front of the tent in the street, exposed to view and 
thieves, during four months of the year, without danger 
from dews or rains. Lots then occupied on this street 
cost 5,000 dollars cash. The old iron safe, before men- 
tioned, was now in its position, it being but the third in 
the place. It was a cheap sheet iron safe, and yet its 
shape was just suited to not only our wants but also the 
miners and muleteers, each of whom in coming from the 
mines would deposit their bag of gold — the former to 
recruit, and the latter to purchase goods. We seemed to 
be the treasury for the whole countiy, and during the 
time we were there we never weighed or counted a sin- 
gle bag, and never had a word of difficulty with a depos- 
itor. Not a bag during the time was sealed. It w^as 
marked with the owner's name, and it was no uncom- 
mon thing to have on hand 150 bags, valued at from 
twenty to one thousand dollars each. We made no 
charge for deposits, and the acquaintance and reputa- 
tion in the mines brought a large trade. The muleteers, 
with from five to thirty pack mules, would arrive about 
noon, the head mule rode by the boss, carried the bag or 
bags of gold on the pommel of the saddle, and if for a 
large purchase, the assistant on the rear mule carried 
gold in the same way. The train would halt at our 
tent, the principal would take off the gold, lay it in the 
safe, hand us a list of his wants, to be ready to pack the 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 105 

second day — not a word of price — if the articles were 
not in the place, we could send by steamer Sutter ; in 
that case and that only, would he be satisfied to hold 
over. When all was ready, the mules would be at the 
door; ask for the bill, take out his gold from the safe, 
and weigh out the sum required, and away for the moun- 
tains. Our tent was called the " cure-all," for we aimed 
never to be short on onions or potatoes. Ours was also 
an exchange office, and those returning to the States 
would exchange dust for coin. Wholly unused to such 
unlimited confidence, I trembled at the result at the 
beginning, but in a fortnight's time became accustomed 
so as to sleep soundly in my hammock, directly over the 
old safe, with a right and left hand supporter under my 
pillow. 

Stockton had its Vigilant Committee, and in the mid- 
dle of the street on an elevation, say about twenty rods 
from us, they had erected a gallows, and at its foot were 
four mounds of fresh-made graves. Your humble ser- 
vant was, soon after his arrival, by request of the Com- 
mittee, made a member of that important arm of the law. 
The jurisdiction of this Committee was unlimited, but it 
generally refused to act in cases outside the township. 
Society in Stockton was a curious compound. Gold was 
the only god it worshiped then. The one white female 
before named, was a lady commanding the respect of 
every person in the place. The Diggers were poor, mis- 
erable brutes. My mule, " Americanus," that carried 
me over the mountains to Panama, w^as a queen in com- 
parison. Men were, in the absence of society, slovenly 
and undignified, and we naturally fell into these habits, 
still (throwing your humble servant out), they were gen- 



106 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

tlemen of integrity, noted for neighborly acts of kind- 
ness, and as prompt as the hand of time. There were no 
lazy ones in the settlement, and while at Stockton I 
never saw a person worse off for liquor, exce23t the 
" Diggers." I^otwithstan<ling the country was flooded 
with genuine Bordeaux brandy, in cases, three cargoes 
of which had been lauded in San Francisco in 1848, at 
the instant the gold was discovered, the crews of the 
ships having left the vessels, and the whole was forced 
on the market at a song's price. 

Woman was a curiosity, as was evidenced one day 
about 8 o'clock, when a great uproar was made, com- 
mencing at the landing, and gaining strength as the 
sound reached us; every occupant was in the street, the 
cheer was long, loud, and strong — and behold, it was a 
woman, backed on a beautiful horse, richly dressed in a 
long riding habit, a neat jockey cap, white feather, face 
highly painted, and she escorted by a man well dressed, 
also on a beautiful bay charger. The men swung their 
hats, and it was a universal cheer on cheer. On the 10th 
day after her majesty and her pimp went through this 
great and w^onderful ovation, the Vigilant Committee, 
through their tiler, served a notice on them both to 
leave by the Sutter next day, without fail. The man- 
date was obeyed, and they took ten thousand dollars with 
them. I make no comment — the reader has the floor. 

The climate at Stockton was beautiful. The plain 
extended twenty miles to the mountain — this was by 
one road, used entirely by miners and pack trains, and 
early in its being traveled was the scene of two murders 
and two robberies, of which fact the scaffold in Stock- 
ton bears testimony. 



CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 107 

The writer was satisfied that chronic diarrhoea was no 
respecter of persons, and if life was worth more than 
gold, it was time for him to nurse his health, and with 
his son, Henry, after closing up our business, took 
steamer for home. We had a beautiful run down the 
coast ; crossed the Isthmus, joined the steamer for New 
York, and arrived safe at New Haven, August 1th, 1850, 
with two good-sized bags of gold, showing a balance 
against the enterprize of -123,000. 

The account stood thus : 

To '^^^ 

Cash outfit to California, including self and two sons $7,000 

Wear and tear, body, soul, and breeches. 10,000 

Privations (non-society) 5,000 

Do., morning winds and fogs in San Francisco 2,000 

Risk of life in various ways.---. 10,000 

"Rolling stone" process 5,000 

$39,000 
Cr. 

By two bags gold, containing $16,000 

" balance to new account 23,000 

E. E. -. -$39,000 

New Haven, August Ith, 1850. C. F. HOTCHKISS. 

Pope speaks my sentiment relative to gold-hunting : 

" To either India see the merchant fly, 
Scar'd at the spectre of pale poverty ! 
See him, with pains of body, pangs of soul, 
Burn through the tropic, freeze beneath the pole ! 
Wilt thou do nothing for a nobler end, 



108 CALIFORNIA IN 1849. 

Nothing, to make philosophy thy friend ? 
To stop thy foolish views, thy long desires, 
And ease thy heart of all that it admires ? 
Here, wisdom calls : ' seek virtue first, be bold ! 
As gold to silver, virtue is to gold.' " 



Card. — Summer Boarding at Short Beach, Branford, 
Conn. Stages three times a day, to and from New Haven. 
Open June 1st — till November. Price, $10 per week. 

C. F. HOTCHKISS. 



SAM PATCH'S LAST LEAP. 

SAM was a noted character of the loafer species, his 
associate a black bear and a brandy bottle. His 
motto, " Some things can be done as well as others," was 
ever present with him, either printed in large letters, or 
at the end of his tongue. The good people of Rochester, 
N". Y., for many years after Sam's death, in 1829, were 
greatly averse to hear or say anything about this great 
hero. The Eastern world have heard the name, while 
the former knew him in person ; for he could be seen 
walking with his bear through their streets, recounting 
his great exploit of jumping the falls of Niagara, and 
his promising to make his " last jump " at Genesee Falls. 
Sam aspired to no other honors than jumping, and had 
educated his companion, the bear, to the same beautiful 
feat of ground and lofty tumbling. He had frequently 
done the exploit at the Genesee, and safely ; but it was, 
as he said, done quietly in order that he could get the 
" hang of the barn," but now he concluded to make a 
noise in the world and let the people of Rochester know 
that " some things could be done as well as others." 
His motto, his tongue and his bear were his sole capital, 
and on these he was determined to rally and " cut a 
swarth " in the world, and by calling the people to his 



110 SAM patch's last LEAP. 

"last jump" he would be "greatly enriched with honor 
and gold." He would then " go to Europe, jump all their 
falls and return rich." These were his views, freely ex- 
pressed to his printers, Tuttle, Sprague and Sherman 
where he selected large wood type, " Sam's Last Leap,' 
for the heading of his poster, and his favorite motto 
" Some things can be done as well as others," at the foot 

Sam having freedom among the rum shops and saloons 
he and the bear during the three weeks of his announce 
ment made calls once a day, brandy for Sam, and crackers 
with sugar on them for Bruin, all free. No one seemed 
disposed to annoy the pair, and it was asserted by Sam 
Drake and Joe Seely, both gentlemen of truth and integ- 
rity, that Sam's inwards were cased with oiled silk to 
prevent the hundred drinks which he took each day from 
eating through, and on Drake's being questioned as to 
the effect of brandy on his brain, he quickly replied that 
"Sam never had any," and added, "many people have a 
place for that necessary commodity, but poor Sam Patch 
was entirely minus, or, as might be better understood, 
nullius films:'' And yet, Sam knew enough to find 
Baker's horse shed on Buffalo street every night when 
the labor of the day was over, but friend Drake denied 
it and gave Bruin that honor. 

The people had no idea that Sam wanted to commit 
suicide, although the bills would indicate otherwise. 
Nothing was said or done about putting a stop to the 
show. Everybody within the range of Ontario, Genesee, 
Wayne, or Monroe Counties were amused at the idea of 
witnessing the great feat, as was proved by their pres- 
ence. Even the village of Rochester and its President, 
my worthy and valued friend, Joseph Medbury, Esq., 



r'c 



SAM PATCH'S LAST LEAP. Ill 

never supposed such a thing could or would be done to 
interfere with the proceedings. The IJochesterites were 
so anxious to see the show that everyone but the halt, 
the lame, the blind, and those that were behind the bars 
on Jail street, under the care of Mr. Merchant, were 
there, babies and all. Both river banks above and below 
the falls, and every building near them were lined with 
people, and no doubt 50,000 people witnessed the scene. 
It was but a moment's job for any person to step into the 
Arcade, and wdth a reasonable affidavit made before his 
Honor Wm. S. Bishop, Justice, the performance would 
have been knocked higher than a kite, and Sam (if friend 
Drake's philosophy is disturbed) to-day might be an am- 
bassador to the Ladrones. 

Sam was a vagrant and everybody knew it. They 
knew he was drunk when he tied Bruin to the scaffold, 
and yet these squeamish old maids and wiseacres, not 
one of them made a move to either stop or protest against 
the proceeding. The author feels a little sore on this 
subject and has waited about fifty years to throw^ the 
lash, as the sequel will show. And those of you now 
alive who then figured in the abuse to the w^-iter, will 
fully understand me without further explanation ; but if 
not I will get up a lecture at Rochester on Sam Patch 
and his " last jump," admittance free. 

By Sam's arrangement and selection, a scaffold w^is 
erected at the edge of the falls on the w^est side of the 
river, twenty-four feet additional above the falls. Sam 
selected eight persons, special and deputy constables, to 
solicit money from the people. He mounted the scaffold 
drunk and clamorous, turned to the east bank, vaunting 
and rattling off an incoherent mess of disconnected 



112 SAM patch's last leap. 

words, with strong ill-shapen gestures and contortions of 
body, twisting himself into all shapes, then suddenly- 
turned to the west, occupying by my watch five minutes^ 
not one word of which was heard above the falls by rea- 
son of the roar of the water, and in an instant, without 
waiting to inflate his lungs, wheeled, facing the water, 
and with both hands uplifted made the jump. At half- 
way down his hands dropped to his side ; his body^ 
forming a portion of a circle, struck the water on his 
right side, the blow of which was sufficient to knock the 
breath from his body, but there is no question that he 
died in the air. Your humble servant was under the 
falls and said to a friend at his side. He is dead. And 
though raked for several days was never seen until three 
months after, and then found at Carthage. The great 
mass of people waited a few moments and turned away, 
some with a tear of regret, others growling and ranting 
everybody and everything, for " suffering the man to 
commit suicide," while others, more prudent, went quietly 
Tiome to ponder over " Sam's last leap." When satisfied 
that Sam had truly made his last effort, one of his com- 
panions dragged poor Bruin to the edge of the falls and 
gave him a launch for his master. The bear, more wise 
than his master, gathered himself in a heap, struck on 
his haunches, went just under the surface, came up, gave 
a good sneeze and made for the shore, where his new 
master was waiting for him, and they left for parts un- 
known — boon companions. 

The persons holding the contributions paid for the 
efforts made to obtain the body, gave a report to each 
other, advertised for the heirs of poor Sam, afterwards 
called a meeting of citizens at Christopher's Tavern, 



113 

Deacon Hawley in the chair. We desired advice as to 
the disposition of the funds, then amounting to about 
$?300. About 100 citizens were present. Nothing was 
done but to abuse the poor officers. The good old Deacon 
held the meeting up to strict rules, and still they heaped 
the abuse, and your humble servant received a full share. 
The meeting broke up for want of order, without action. 
When Sam's body came to the surface we called another 
meeting, stating in the call that we proposed, as the 
body was now within our reach needing burial, to expend 
the funds in erecting a monument on the bank of the 
river to his memory, and that to the present no heirs had 
appeared. About seventy persons were present. After 
considerable cross-firing the question, " Shall a monu- 
ment be erected ?" was negatived sixty to ten. A bitter 
feeling began to show itself; we were targets again. 
Finally a gentleman offered his remarks, saying, "I con- 
sider this whole matter a disgrace to our village. We 
have allowed a poor drunken fool to commit suicide right 
before our face and eyes, without making the least effort 
to prevent it. Our citizens should be thankful that time 
will outlive memory, and there was hope that the thing 
would be forgotten. It was as much your and my busi- 
ness to interfere as these officers, and though I appre- 
ciate the motive of these gentlemen in their offer to erect 
a monument and the efforts they have made to disburse 
the collections, but really, Mr. Chairman, were they to 
erect this monument, I should expect a similar scene as 
was witnessed at the Tower of Babel, and if these men 
escaped with their lives they would be extremely for- 
tunate. I move you, sir, that the gentlemen bury the 
dead and make no more efforts to get shut of the money." 



114 SAM PATCH S LAST LEAP. 

This compromise seemed to give satisfaction. The reso- 
lution passed mianimously, the eight parties in interest 
not voting. 

Now, if your humble servant had not been so shame- 
fully persecuted, he never would have resurrected the 
story of Sam Patch, and if the whole truth had been 
told to the people there would have been no necessity 
for any person either in or out of Kochester to call on an 
old salt of three score years and thirteen to come forth 
from his Httle snug harbor at Short Beach, Branford, 
Connecticut, and give information relative to "Sam's 
Last Leap." 



Card. — Summer Boarding at Short Beach, Branford, 
Conn. Stages three times a day to and from New Haven. 
Open June 1st till November. Price, |]0 per week. 

C. F. HOTCHKISS. 



RESPECT TO AGED FISHERMEN. 

THE rule among fishermen has been, " If too old to 
fish, and yet incline to go with the boys, you must 
take the middle thwart and cut bait for the party." 
This is good piscatorial law, except seating him on the 
middle thwart. I always give them the stern sheets. 
The reader would no doubt say, that when a man be- 
comes an " old fogy " and can't fish, sea-legs all gone, it is 
no place for him in a boat. Not so, friend. These old 
fogy fishermen, as long as they can see a land-mark or a 
tide rip, or have the use of the tongue, are useful as well 
as ornamental. Useful as before mentioned, to cut bait 
and tell shark stories. Ornamental, in that their full 
flowing white hair answers as a signal to other boats to 
give us a good birth, a respect to old age, and beside, 
they make good ballast. It has been a privilege during 
my piscatorial life to take in my boat all the " old fogy " 
fishermen that had good eyesight and teeth, and some 
who were plump up to four-score years and ten, notwith- 
standing they could not walk, but required a " sky 
tackle " purchase to carefully get them in and out of the 
boat. My plan was to place the good old souls in the 
stern sheets (the seat of honor) give him the best gear, 
bait his hooks, make the end of his line fast to a cleat, 
" throw and haul " his line for him when he called for 



116 RESPECT TO AGED FISHERMEN. 

help, always sit beside him and occasionally give his 
line a nip, but if he could not hook the fish I would put 
one on myself and let him run, and the old man would 
get him in somehow. It was worth more than it cost to 
see the wonderful efiect on an old fisherman. Oh, how 
his eyes would sparkle and flash, and then hear him as 
he hauled a fish, sing out, "Can't fish, ha ! An old fogy 
and can't fish, ha !" and I said to myself, Who would 
refuse to give the old fogy fisherman one more chance at 
his favorite amusement ? It may be your lot or mine to 
be an old fogy. If mine, I have no doubt I shall be re- 
warded in a measure, "inasmuch," etc., for if when your 
humble servant shall be " laid up in ordinary," and can't 
get into a boat, his friends will no doubt place him in a 
nice easy chair in the shade of the old white oak tree, 
his vision spanning Short Beach Bay on a sweep of the 
horizon from W. to E. S. E., while he in a faint voice, 
sings " Oh, vat a man I was once ! But I never was dat 
man vat I has been for all." 

Moral : Do not neglect the old fishermen while their 
vision is good ; they may be too far gone to write a his- 
tory of the past, or to get into a boat and fish, but gen- 
erally if with a breath left, they can sigh for the " leeks 
and onions," and tell a good fish story. Always tip your 
beaver to an old fisherman and ask him if he has tried 
" New Reef" the present season, and if he is poor in 
purse hand him a dollar and ask him if he will go with 
you to the " Cow and Calf" ofi" Branford the first pleas- 
ant day. Look him square in the eye and you will see a 
tear gathering in the corner as clear as a choice diamond. 
Poor old man, he feels the infirmities of age, but his 
memory is roused and he replies, " Old Cow and Calf 1 



RESPECT TO AGED FISHERMEN. Il7 

and then there's Branford Beacon, two miles to the east- 
ward, where I have fished in early days with Hotchkiss, 
he that ' catches all creation.' " See, the old man has re- 
newed his age. You have touched the right note. He 
i» awake again. He has been a reader in his day, and 
reminds you that the day has come " when the keepers 
of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow 
themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, 
and those that look out of the windows be darkened 
and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the 
sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the 
voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall 
be brought low. Also when they shall be afraid of that 
which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the 
almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be 
a burden, and desire shall fail ; because man goeth to 
his long home, and the mourners go about the streets; 
or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be 
broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the 
wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return 
to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto 
God who gave it." 



Card. — Summer Boarding at Short Beach, Branford, 

Conn. Stages three times a day to and from New Haven. 

Open June 1st, till November. 

C. F. HOTCHKISS. 



THE SERPENT OF THE SEA. 

MY readers will no doubt agree with me about the 
testimony yet given to the world as to the existence 
of the Sea Serpent, Nahant, Cape May and Nantucket 
to the contrary, notwithstanding. The author in the 
Atlantic and Pacific waters has never been a witness for 
the snaky monster, though he has witnessed the gambols 
of the grampus and porpoise, with an occasional sight 
of a " humpback " on the far horizon on a calm day 
and a quiet sea, which sometimes would resemble the 
graphic description of a " Sea Serpent off Nahant," and 
yet I believe that such "critters" do exist in a more 
southern latitude. In conversation with my good, kind 
old skipper, Capt. Peter Storer, whom the world must 
believe, I drew from him the following : 

"In 1806 the ship Baltimore, of Baltimore, owned by 
Billy Patterson, on entering Calcutta Bay, and off the 
island of Salon e, with a light breeze, sighted on the 
weather bow an object resembling a large stake about 
four feet above the surface and distant about half a mile, 
on the move, with about equal speed of the ship, appar- 
ently intending to cross the bow. Having a heavy pair 
of four-prong grains, they were immediately rigged in a 
nine-thread rattling stuff and a full coil, by the skipper, 
Sylvanus Long, of Nantucket, who jumped into a plat- 



120 THE SERPENT OF THE SEA. 

form fastened on her bowsprit shrouds, and with a strong 
cast put the grains through the creature just under the 
surface. The spear came out of the socket, became tan- 
gled among the spritsail-yard guys, the animal half out 
water and making tremendous efforts to shake of the 
grains, but they had too firm a hold, though the lanyard 
parted and he went off to leeward on the surface with 
the water in a perfect foam and was seen for a half hour 
before he sank. On the log of the ship he is described 
as an animal without scales, a large bright eye, about 
twenty feet long, tapering from near the center to head 
and tail, and was a foot in diameter eight feet from his 
head. His body was plainly seen its full length and no 
portion of it near the surface except as before stated. 
It was in shape a perfect serpent, and in a region of salt 
water of eighty fathoms deep. And further, the same 
parties on the same day caught a herring hog from which 
they extracted a dozen real genuine snakes, from one to 
three feet long." 

The reader will observe that all previous descriptions 
of the sea serpent yet given us, and especially " ofi 
Nahant," affirm that when he moves in the water he 
represents a dozen or less hummocks on his back, or por- 
tions of circles, thus asking us to believe that he could 
get up a fair speed wdth the body in that position. I 
pronounce it all a canard. Give us the Bay of Bengal 
snake in preference, for his or her body was in a natural 
position. Ask my old skipper if he advocates the affirm- 
ative on Sea Serpents. 



SHORT BEACH. 

THE inquiry often comes up as to the location of this 
snug watering place which has recently been brought 
into notice, and is now being built upon for summer res- 
idence. It lays about three miles east of New Haven 
Lighthouse, in the town of Branford, Conn., in a beau- 
tiful bay fronting Long Island Sound, and due north, 
about two miles from the "Cow and Calf" (rocks so 
famous in the estimation of our old fishermen). 

When the author and Mr. George Gunn dropped an 
anchor here three years ago, they found a small number 
of neighbors who gave them the right hand of fellow- 
ship, sold part of their possessions at a fair price, and 
with but one road terminating at the sea, threw in their 
influence to induce the town of Branford to open a road 
leading westerly to East Haven and easterly to Double 
Beach and Branford Center. This work has been accom- 
plished, and it surprises the world generally to witness 
the improvements in so short a time. Our little bay is in 
the form of a horse-shoe, protected on the north by ele- 
vated land regularly declining to the beach ; westerly by 
high bluffs; southerly, opening the view of Long Island 
Sound from west to east, and easterly by a range of 
rocks visible at high water, overlooking the same to the 
horizon. On a promontory at the west chop of the bay 



122 SHORT BEACH. 

are the beautiful residences of Messrs. Reynolds, Horton, 
Williams, Cory and Bristol. Fronting the sea on the 
east chop are the residences of Messrs. Wilcox, Kev. 
Simonds, the W. C. of Wallingford and Oneida, and 
Mrs. Hamilton, of Hartford, and, divesting the author of 
Me-gotism, he would say that, fronting the sea on the 
north are the residences of Messrs. Gunn, Miller, Clark, 
Jun., Church, Becket, Bradley, Hart, Doolittle, Clark, 
Sen., and Wm. J. Clark, Ives, Nichols, Crane, Coles, 
Marvin, Hartson, Hough, and though last, not by any 
means least, the cottage of the humble old fisherman 
and jolly author. 1^^ At your service. 

But hark! what's up ? Ah! yes, I understand. It's 
the signal from the Commodore of the " Rockland Park 
NaA^y," W. H. Reynolds, of the beautiful Nita, carry- 
ing his broad pennant signaling the fleet to "heave 
short." And casting my eye over Horton's Point, and 
under the lee of Darrow's Island, on which is the home 
of Captain Bailey and his good wife, I saw in perfect 
trim and line, the Sappho, Florence, Lillie, Venus, Pet, 
and Onward. It was the first rendezvous of the season, 
and the morning as clear as their white hulls by paint, 
and sails, by bleaching, could in man's ingenuity be made. 
Casting an eye seaward, everything betokened a white- 
ash breeze, but in the bay an occasional cat's-paw spent 
itself on the surface of the water, which otherwise was 
as smooth as glass. The little white " spike-tailed " gull 
had left his rookery down Sound, and made an occasional 
dive for a fish within speaking distance of the fleet. The 
tide by its rips on the outside reefs indicated flood, and 
with my glass pointed to Long Island shore, a spank- 
ing breeze about W. by S. was on his way. The com- 



SHORT BEACH. 123 

modore saw it, and in the twinkling of a codfish's eye 
sent his " bos'n " in the little gig to each craft with the 
message, " Have your reef gear ready ! and make no 
harbor unless stress of weather requires ! round Bran- 
ford Beacon and return." On the quarter seat to each 
craft were one or more ladies, rigged a la sailor, dark 
tight-fitting coat and brass buttons, small jockey hat 
and no feathers — sails mutton-legged, no main boom to 
knock the ladies on the head, no thumping of the heart 
with fear, but full of courage ; for it is a rule in this fleet 
to " keep main sheet in hand." But let us return to the 
Commodore, with his broad blue and red pennant tailing 
to the first overshot breeze, spring on his cable, leading 
aft, but stopped on a ring bolt with a yarn. The whole 
code of signals he keeps within the fleet, but the author 
caught the order " Pay ofi" to port ! let go ! And with 
a glorious wind the fleet was in the wake of the Nita, 
going like scalded hogs. Beautiful sight, " free sheets," 
starboard tacks aboard, going ten knots an hour. Oh, 
how the water did fly ! The author was so well pleased 
with the seamanship displayed by the lads that he never 
intruded the question of " who rounded the beacon first ?" 
But he will throw up his colors and hat for the " Rock- 
land Park Navy " any time. 



"THROW A ROPE!" 

ON the quarter rail of a taut-rigged vessel, be she 
large or small, you will notice a " belaying pin " on 
which is a coil of small rigging, the " better end " spliced 
to a " thimble bolt " at the under side of the rail. The 
other end has a small buoy of wood well secured, above 
which are knots every three fathoms. This neat little 
coil of rigging is a fixture and never for ordinary use. 
A strict disciplinarian and humane skipper would as 
soon think of starting on the voyage without a compass, 
as to omit casting his eye on both quarters of the ship 
for this simple apparatus, or sing out, "Let go your 
fast !" while the gang plank is out. This piece of rigging 
is occasionally dropped overboard to remove " kinks " 
and re-coiled on the pin, "but never stopped. It is so 
neatly laid when coiled that should the cry of "A man 
overboard" be heard, a good strong arm can throw it 
from the ship, unfolding itself in the air, without a snarl 
or kink. If no such cry is heard on board the ship, then 
the coil of rigging is useless. 

In the winter of 1873, a young man, calling himself 
an Evangelist, having been recently converted at Phila- 
delphia, came to New Haven and assumed the pulpit of 
the Howe Street Church. His preaching was apparently 
satisfactory to the people judging from the crowds who 



126 "throw a eope !" 

attended the services, and certainly there was reasonable 
evidence that many persons had become converted. 
Everything appeared to go on smoothly with the young 
man and his cause for a few months, when it was evident 
that his work could not be prosecuted in peace. Certain 
men who had been instrumental in placing him in the 
pulpit, without any church organization openly declared 
war against him, with the threat that he not only should 
vacate the pulj^it but the city. This was in the midst 
of as great a revival of religion as New Haven ever 
witnessed. Realizing the position of the young man, 
and fearing that he would be crushed and the cause he 
advocated be injured, I deemed it a privilege as well as 
a duty to "throw a rope," and, if possible, save him 
from the wicked persecutions surrounding him. I do 
not propose to go into a full narrative of this wicked 
combination, but I cannot in justice to the cause of 
Christ and my personal friends, say other than this : the 
young preacher was assailed to that extent by the pro- 
fessed followers of Christ as to partially give way for a 
time. In my family he found an asylum from those who 
would glory in driving him to abandon his religion and 
his Master's work. He was but two years old in the 
cause, his former life not in sympathy with the new, 
friends expecting that he could stand erect without ex- 
tending their sympathy to sustain him. Instead of kindly 
Christian greeting, he was discarded. This was more 
than he could bear, and like John B. Gough, he fell (but 
only once), and had not that great man's friends thrown 
" the rope " four times, Mr. Gough would have fallen 
short the laurels he now carries in his gray hairs. Be- 
fore high heaven myself and family had no axe to grind, 



127 

when we, like the Shunamite woman, introduced Marvin 
W. Lutz into our }3lain " uj^per chamber." Our cruse of 
oil was then full, but we remembered the warnino- 
" Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no 
harm !" 

The author has learned that Friendship, if available 
when wanted, is Christianity. Forgive thine enemy 
" seventy times seven." And novr, to close this subject 
and the book, let me say, with all solemnity and joy, I 
believe that when Christ comes many "professors" (if 
they finally enter his kingdom) will be surprised to see 
Marvin W. Lutz there, but it will not surprise the 
author. Amen ! Amen ! ! 



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